


Something In Common

by moonlightgisaeng



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Minor Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, Minor Jane Foster/Thor, Multi, Protective Parents, Unplanned Pregnancy, Valki - Freeform, mentions of Valkyrie being a Bisexual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-01-23 02:30:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12496564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlightgisaeng/pseuds/moonlightgisaeng
Summary: Valkyrie Brunnhilde and Loki Laufeyson have absolutely nothing in common except they have a 'daughter'.~*Valki Modern-Setting AU*~





	1. One Night Stand

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my second Valki fic, so again I seriously apologize that Loki and Val are a bit OC. ^^"
> 
> And also again, I apologize if my writing isn't that great, smut is seriously one of my difficult genres on writing -_-"

It all started with an engagement party.

Unfortunately, it was not her engagement party.

It’s better to start this from, well, the beginning.

Her companion and good friend Jane Foster admitted her feelings to the love of her life, Thor Odinson. After years of on and off relationships and dating, they decided to tie the knot. The story sounds pretty romantic until now, doesn’t it?

Their engagement party is the place where Valkyrie Brunnhilde’s story starts.

More specially, it starts in that same moment when someone bumps into her, causing a third party to spill his glass filled with red wine right in the middle of her lovely white colored party dress. _‘Fuck’_ , that’s all she wants to say. First she knows she will attend her class tomorrow morning with a serious hangover and now her lovely, not-cheap-at-all dress is stained deep red. The chances of it coming off are slim.

“Oh great.” Valkyrie mutters under her breath while her hands find balance on the edge of the bar table. Damn these high heels, too!

Seriously, who would want to have an open bar at their engagement party in the first place?

Thor Odinson, obviously.

“You will only ruin it more.” The person who spilled his drink on her dress says.

And out of nowhere, he throws a pinch of salt at her.

“What the fuck?!”

“It will absorb the wine faster and the stain won’t be as noticeable. You’re welcome.”

She feels like pulling on his hair the moment he says these last words.

“Perhaps if you weren’t so careless with your drink, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place!”

This when he turns fully towards her, giving her dark brown eyes a perfect view of his tall frame and wide shoulders. The black suit he wears, the piercing look of his green almond shaped eyes, and the way his black hair perfectly comb over his back frames his face is not helping Valkyrie’s case.

She thinks she’s seen him somewhere before. Sure, he’s probably one of the most attractive men her eyes have the pleasure of spotting.

Oh, her poor _dress!_

“And if you were not so clumsy, I would not have to waste another pinch of salt on your dress.”

But she’s sure she’s never met an asshole like this one before. Valkyrie is ready to toss aside all her prestigious and important qualification out the window. Damn her academic education for once; the language dancing in her mind would make her sweet mother pass out immediately.

“Why you…!”

“Valkyrie! Brother!”

The outcome of this quarrel is interrupted by an overtly energetic muscled groom, accompanied by his lovely fiancée who displays the brightest of smiles in her lips as she softly places her hand on her beloved’s arm. Jane has always been the sweetest, smart one out of Valkyrie’s group of friends.

Valkyrie has to take a step back to let Thor open his arms wide before giving his **_“Brother”_** who spilled his drink on her dress a tight embrace. His loud voice and exaggerated demeanor are enough to set his **_“Brother”_** off, almost causing him to spill yet another drink.

“Loki, buy the lady a drink over here!” Thor leeches off of this Loki, wrapping an arm around Valkyrie’s shoulders.

“Thor, it’s an open bar.”

“Whatever, you’re my best man. And if I tell you to get her something, you better do it!”

His words do not reach the attempted level of authority Thor is aiming for, but whatever, who cares? He’s getting hitched to the love of his life. And in Valkyrie’s opinion, aside from his current drunken state, he is the only one who has a larger part of his life figured out.

Valkyrie is ready to call it quits and walked out of the engagement party when she feels something cover her shoulders. She touches the fine quality of the blazer that has landed on her body, and slides her arms through the sleeves then buttoned it, covering the ugly wine stain. She looks to her side, finding the idiot who spilled his drink on her slide another glass full of alcohol without bothering to make an eye contact. He has rolled up the sleeves of his dark dress shirt and is resting his elbows on the bar.

Valkyrie thinks of taking the drink, chugging it, and then leaving the festivities, but is reminded of how disappointed Jane would feel if she were to suddenly disappear. After a sigh, she choose to sit on the bar stool beside the man. The glass in front of her is filled with rum and coke. _‘Typical drink’_ , she muses. Come on, safe, and welcome in her palate at any and all times.

The rum and coke is half way done when she turns around towards the asshole. “So… a best man, huh?” if he isn’t moving from his seat and has offered her a drink, she guesses that it’s about time to start a conversation. “Thor’s your brother?”

“Adopted, actually.”

“Oh, I see. Jane and I went to the same university and we both became roommates for four years.” She guesses that he is about the same age as her, considering that he does not look much older than his early thirties and she is twenty seven herself. “I’m Valkyrie, by the way.” She extends her hand.

That is when he turns to her, takes a sip of the wine that replaced the one that had tragically stained her clothes. “Loki.” He extends his hand and shakes hers.

And somehow the conversation continues. Valkyrie finds out this Loki works for his family business, which assumes that is very successful since he wears nice clothes and carries himself with a different type of class than most of the party guests. She tells him how she is still at school, working towards her graduate degree in mechanical engineering at Colombia University.

Sure, Loki comes off as an asshole at first, but once they delve into different topics she finds that he is much more interesting than just his looks. Sure, they don’t have anything in common, him with his travels around the world for his family business and her in the enclosed world of books, engineering and analyzation. The rest of the party becomes a blur as she immerses herself in the unknown that Loki seems to inhabit. His voice even becomes more sophisticated as the drinks continue.

He is a connoisseur of wine, she can get drunk of anything.

He prefers the quietness of the open countryside, she finds comfort in the bustling city crowds.

He invites her back to his apartment, and she agrees without thinking twice. The thought that Natasha is somewhere lost in the middle of Jane’s engagement party is in the back of Valkyrie’s mind, but she pays little attention to it knowing that her Russian friend is smart enough to find a way home on her own.

“Whoa, you have a chauffeur?” She asks in drunken disbelief at the sight of a black Jaguar pulling up outside of the party room. Clichéd question, yes but these sorts of luxuries do not happen in her life that often.

“Family Business does well, I guess.” He offers as an explanation.

She notices how he takes careful steps coming down the stairs, offering his hand to help her down. Valkyrie has been swayed by men many times before in her life, and in spite of Loki’s polished composure, she can tell that he is not as sober as he pretends to be.

 

* * *

 

The car ride is silent, her state of mind in the limbo where she lets the alcohol persuade her actions with consent. Loki’s head does not rest on the seat, but rather sways from side to side, looking out the window, to the front, back at her and repeating the same cycle. The first two buttons of his dark shirt are opened, while his tie rests on his left hand. Valkyrie cannot remember when he took it off, but neither can she tell why her shoulders feel so warm before remembering that Loki lent her his blazer.

When they arrive at his place, Valkyrie almost falls backwards trying to count how many floors the building has from the outside.

“We’re going to the 40th floor, for your information.”

“And do you also have a maid?” She asks out of curiosity.

The way he chuckles at her question sends the vibrations down every sensitive part of her body.

His apartment is basic in spite of its location and, what Valkyrie can only guess, the rent he must be paying. She is met with elegant walls and dark, minimalist furniture. He invites her to the kitchen, which is decorated metal chairs and a glass kitchen table.

Loki likes an elegant, bland apartment while she enjoys the trails of her personality in the place she shares with Natasha and her boyfriend Bruce Banner. Funny, how they must be wondering where she is right now.

He takes out two glasses from his shelves and a bottle of a caramel colored drink. Adds ice, then pours, and offered one of the glasses. She smiles before taking a sip of the liquid, at first taken aback by its strong scent and taste, thinking of how this is a type of drink that is supposed to be sipped patiently rather than swallowed all at once.

“Show me the view.” She says, standing up from her chair and walking towards the living room with her glass cupped in her two hands.

Loki follows without saying anything, and she appreciates the silence he offered to her constant need to keep talking. From the fortieth floor, she can identify the largest building of her university and she could even, if she tried, completely cover it with her thumb. Her own building, a few blocks away from Colombia University, is absolutely indistinguishable and the bright city lights. It is almost as if she was a goddess watching over her kingdom of disciples.

“That’s where I work.” Loki points at another tall building on the east side of New York from her behind.

That is when she feels how close he is to her, his arm almost resting on her shoulder as she tries to make out the symbol at the tower he is helping her find. Valkyrie sees an ancient looking circle with scrambled curved lines inside the circle or something like that, and her mind makes a connection.

“Bifrost Corp? Like the company run by the Odinson family who’s donated a butt load of money to Colombia University?”

That’s right.”

Yet her mind does not make the real connection, it should be making.

“That’s cool.” She chimes.

 Valkyrie turns around, finding herself extremely close to Loki’s firm chest and his face almost on hers. She licks her lips, letting the alcohol absorb every desire in her system. She wraps her arms around his neck, wanting to clear his fine features from the black that covers half of them. The glass almost empty of her drink is still in her hand, the ice making her fingers feel a lot colder than the rest of her body.

Sure, Loki has an awesome job at an awesome company and she is still struggling to pay for her student debt. He lives in a posh apartment, a complete opposite of her small two bedroom flat filled with mismatched furniture and coffee mugs. His monochrome appearance clashes with her abundance of color in hair, eyes and skin.

Valkyrie knows she has nothing in common with him, that they’ve just met at their mutual friends’ engagement party and she swore at him. But when she lands her lips on his, all the theories of how opposites attract remind her why meeting and getting drunk with someone like Loki may be one of the best things to happen tonight.

His hands travel up and down her back underneath the blazer she is still wearing. They dismiss the piece of clothing, leaving Valkyrie with her white dress on and a shiver running down her spine. He disengages their lips for a moment, finding her eyes with hid before she nods and he connects with a kiss once again. Her legs end up hooked around his waist as he walks her towards what she can only assume is his bedroom.

Valkyrie does not stop kissing him as he places her down on his bed, the weight of his body on top of her and she feels his bulge warming her up between her thighs. She bites his lower lip, loving the way they dance on her, as he begins to run his fingers from her arms to her sides down to her hips. She tangles her own hands in his black hair, pulling it every time he touches a sensitive spot on her skin.

They go on like this, teasing each other with nips in their necks, ears, sending electricity from their heads down to their toes. Valkyrie looks straight at Loki’s eyes as she pulls down her dress’ zipper, the reminder to send it to the dry cleaners long gone from her mind, while he unbuttons his shirt and unbuckles his pants.

His muscles are firm under her grip, and he takes her by the hips, flipping them so that she is on top while her knees trap him on both sides. She flips her long dark brown hair to the side, feeling the pleasurable friction between their arousal. He plays with the strands of her bra, sliding them down her breasts, letting out a low moan as she shifts herself. He calls her beautiful, and she knows that those words come out every time a man wants something from a woman but takes the compliment nonetheless.

Her lips find his once again as he finally – _finally_ – slides her grey lingerie panties down her legs and she does the same with his black boxers. Loki flips them around again, keeping his upper half away from her as he stared at her flushed cheeks and rising chest. Valkyrie lets out a soft whimper when she feels two fingers open her insides. He mutters on how wet she is, his other hand caressing every corner of her stomach. She still feels the trails of alcohol in her system, as well as its taste in Loki’s mouth when he kisses her again, biting her lips and neck after she begins to stroke him.

Loki enters her completely, both of them moaning in unison as the strokes begin to start slowly, eventually picking up the pace. He is careful in making her feel comfortable while giving her pleasure, tossing and turning her, accepting whenever she wants to go on top to ride his body with desire. She takes her time teasing him with slow movements that send jolts of electricity to his nerves.

He devours her, picking up the pace until he shuddered, spilling warm ribbons of his thick, viscous essence into her. The feeling of him coating her insides was too pleasant for her to complain then. They are both panting, chest touching and worn out. Valkyrie falls asleep on her side, her body still naked, while she watches Loki close his own eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, she wakes up to toast and coffee for breakfast. Loki walks her down to the exit of his building and even hails a cab for her. At this time of the day, it is impossible for her to show up at the university with her ragged appearance and so she decided to go home. They exchange numbers, and Valkyrie departs on feeling a lot more normal than she thought she could.

Well obviously, she and Loki have nothing in common. He is her complete opposite, the oil to her water. Great in bed, yes but Valkyrie knows that this was only a one night stand she is totally fine with it.

She will move on with her life, doing her research at school, while he continues his.


	2. She's Going To Be A Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's the second chapter, readers!!! Hope you enjoy this fic ;)

Valkyrie finds out because of a car accident.

It’s not like she dies or anything serious like that. She even admits her own fault at crossing the street without paying attention. A car makes a right turn on the intersection, and the brakes work when she has already fallen on the ground.

The driver who hit her insists on taking her to the nearest hospital in spite of her constant claim that she is unharmed. She accepts the offer to go to the hospital anyway, at least to confirm the guilty man that she is safe. She spends the next two hours hearing his never ending apologies while they wait for her turn, and is quite relieved when the doctor calls to see her.

 And just like she guessed, there was nothing wrong with her. Valkyrie insists that she will not press charges against the driver, fully aware of how noble that is of her, but the poor man looks like he cannot afford another expense in his life. Nonetheless, they exchange information so that her hospital bills are covered by his credit card.

She is about to leave, happy to have this strange episode done and over with, when the doctor calls her into her office.

“Take a seat, Miss Brunnhilde.” She does accordingly. “Because we must follow the code of patient confidentiality, and due to the nature of your reaction to this car accident. I believe that you haven’t found out yet.”

“Haven’t found out what?” Valkyrie incredulously.

“You’re five weeks pregnant.”

She tilts her head in confusion. Pregnant? Her? Impossible? That doesn’t make any sense.

“I don’t understand.”

The look of shock in her face prompts the doctor to hand her a white stick. She guides Valkyrie to the bathroom, offering her to stay outside of the door until she is done with the test.

 

* * *

 

Valkyrie stares at the two pink lines on the pregnancy test for what it feels like an eternity. A knock on the door is followed by the doctor’s voice asking her if she is in need of any assistance. The plastic stick slips through her fingers as her knees drop her down to the floor. She looks around in disbelief, trying to find any sort of comfort in the sterile walls, any sort of sign that tells her this isn’t happening.

How is this even possible? She hasn’t had sex since… oh.

_Oh._

Her features fell, her breathing becomes heavy. Next thing she knows, Valkyrie is hiding her head between her knees, sobbing. This can’t be her. Valkyrie doesn’t do pregnancy; it does not go with her life at all.

She has her studies, she has her family and friends. Her life is absolutely and completely normal. But somehow, because of one night in which she let herself go, she ends up with a baby inside her.

“This isn’t true.” She tells herself. “This can’t be happening.”

The doctor recommends her to an OBGYN, the best there is in New York, and gives her own words of comfort. She gives Valkyrie pamphlets with information on pregnancy, book recommendations, and even a small flier on an abortion clinic that is in the outskirts of downtown New York just in case she changes her mind.

Valkyrie sits down on her bedroom, surrounded by all the things that make her special, no recollection of her bus ride from the hospital back to her humble apartment. She spreads the papers the doctor gave her on her old bed, the same one she bought second hand from Darcy after moving closer to New York, and looks at all the titles without thinking.

Her eyes linger on the abortion flier, knowing how it would be the easiest option and that it would make her forget of this day. She picks it up, reading carefully the contact information, help line and testimonials. Valkyrie has always been one to support such actions; if a woman was not in the condition to have a baby, then she should at least have an option outside of giving birth. But now she finds herself in that same place she’s heard of so many times since her adolescence.

And she finds that she cannot go through with it.

She crumples the flier and tosses it to her garbage bin, knowing that her life has fully changed from this moment on.

 

* * *

 

“I’m pregnant.” She announces while Natasha is washing the dishes. Bruce is preparing his next laboratory work, and it is only the two of them for dinner that night.

Her friend drops the plate she is rinsing and it almost breaks into a thousand pieces. She turns her head towards Valkyrie. “Come again?”

Nat, I’m--”

“Pregnant.”

“Yes.”

“Since when?”

Valkyrie bites her lip, feeling a lot more tired than usual. “Five weeks. I just found out this morning.”

Natasha does not even wipe her hands before wrapping her arms around her good friend’s shoulders. They sat like this for a long moment of silence, the complete opposite of their usual dinner nights when they spend time chatting about nothing and everything.

“It’s gonna be fine, I promise.” She says in Valkyrie’s ear. “Bruce and I will be with you in every step.”

They sit back down on the dinner table, house chores completely forgotten. Natasha’s hand does not leave her knee, and Valkyrie has never felt so happy of having a friend like her.

“Who’s the father?”

Natasha knows how many guys _(and girls, though it’s impossible that between female to female can make a baby out of it)_ Valkyrie has slept with, and when it happened too. Ironically enough, Valkyrie never bothered telling her Russian friend of her impromptu rendezvous after Jane’s engagement party.

“Thor’s best man and his _‘adopted’_ brother. His name is Loki.”

“As in Loki Laufeyson?”

That is the first time she hears his full name. “That’s right – wait, _that’s_ his last name?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Oh God. He works for his family business! How could I not.” She pauses. “Never mind. We were drunk, and we went back to his apartment. I never thought it was going to end up this way. I haven’t even called him.”

Saying it aloud does not make it any less real in her mind, though. Valkyrie still cannot believe that there is a small human being growing in her belly. She does not tell Natasha any more details of that night, preferring to keep them unspoken because relieving that it may cause something to stir inside of her.

“What are you going to do?

“I’m going to be a mother.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

Valkyrie shrugs her shoulders to that question. “I guess I have to.”

Everything is cloudy around her. She feels out of place even though she is at home. The words coming out of her mouth sound too surreal to be true.

_‘I’m going to be a mother.’_

“Oh, Val, I’ll be here for you.” Natasha smiles softly to her.

 “We all will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know this chapter is a bit short ^^" But don't worry, the next one will be longer than this one. And that chapter will about how Valkyrie will tell Loki that she is pregnant with his child.  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> See you soon for the next chapter ;)
> 
> Review (^////u////^)?


	3. Meeting The Future-In-Laws

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the new chapter, readers!!! Hope you enjoy this fic ;)

Texting him after six weeks of silence is not the greatest idea. But neither is it to have sex without protection and end up pregnant with the child of the heir to the Bifrost Corp. It puts herself to shame of not being able to protect her body to let something like this slip.

Valkyrie meant to do it the day after finding out about her pregnancy, but her studies kept her away from her personal life. Truthfully, she was avoiding this moment until Natasha grabbed her cellphone, found Loki’s number, and sent a text on her behalf because running away from a situation is not what she would want her child to do in the future.

Loki calls her almost instantly after receiving her message. He says he is busy tonight, but will clear his schedule. Valkyrie does not want to tell him that it’s urgent, that it can’t wait, but the words don’t come out. No, they need to face the consequences of their actions.

She arrives at his building when the sun is about to set, happy to find him waiting for her at the entrance. He is still wearing his work suit, she notices. A contrast to the lilac skinny jeans and rock band t-shirt under her denim jacket. He nods at her when they meet, asking if she wants to come upstairs or take a walk first.

“Let’s just… walk.”

Loki guides her to the promenade that borders the river behind his building. This is a side of New York that is reserved for the rich and exclusive, two things that Valkyrie knows she will never wanted to be like that.

“So how’ve you been?” She asks, already noticing how Loki is not one to start one to start a conversation. She is reminded of how awkward it is to start a conversation with a guy she slept with and never called back for a second round.

“Busy. Work is pretty much everything in my life.” He adds. His hands are laced behind his back while hers are in her pockets. “How’s school for you?”

So he remembers that she’s studying.

“Busy. School is pretty much everything in my life.” She repeats in a teasing tone and the silence returns between them.

The sun is already hidden behind the buildings that surrounded New York. There are people of all ages enjoying one of the last days of nice weather before the winter brings snow and subzero temperatures. Valkyrie watches children play with dogs, old people sitting in benches feeding sesame seeds to doves, young professionals dressed up in suits talking on their phones while enjoying a cigarette.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call back before--”

“I’m pregnant.” She simultaneously drops those words as Loki is about to explain his lack of attention.

Loki stops his pace, his stance rigid for a moment before he turns his side towards her. Valkyrie can feel the fear on her skin, waiting for the worst reaction of someone that is her complete opposite. Though she can easily hide her emotion quite well by being calm.

“Excuse me?”

“Loki, I’m six weeks pregnant.”

She doesn’t know why it does, but she opens her purse and takes out the pregnancy test she keeps in a plastic bag and shows it to him. Call her weird, sure. Maybe she is a little crazier than most normal people for keeping a sample of her urine on a stick with her at all times. But there is something about showing Loki the proof that she is in fact carrying his child that relieves some of the nerves in Valkyrie’s neck and shoulders.

“I--”

“You’re the only one I’ve had sex with.” She finds herself saying, the words coming out of her mouth too surreal. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be doing this to you if it was someone else, not to mention that I’m technically into woman than men. Thor and Jane can confirm that. They know I’m not a liar.”

He sits down in one of the benches along the promenade and buries his face in his hands. For someone who carries himself in a pristine condition, with a successful future ahead, he looks like a complete mess in front of her.

“I’m sorry, Loki.” She has to hold back her tears from falling and it did. “I never thought this was going to happen, but I’m going to keep this baby. I’m sorry, I can’t get rid of this life growing inside of me. I won’t give you any burden, I promise. I just… wanted to let you know.”

Valkyrie walks away before he can register that she left and before she feels her face contorted with bottled up emotions.

She gets on the next transit bus that stops in front of her, avoiding making an eye contact with everybody and feeling how the bumpy ride is giving her nausea.

 

* * *

 

When she gets home, Bruce is frying the fish in the stove while Natasha is browsing on her laptop with a parenting book beside her. Valkyrie slumps herself down on a chair in front of her Russian friend, letting out all of her frustrations in front of her roommates. They comfort her with whatever she asks; Bruce throws out the fried fish he’s spent the last fifteen minutes preparing because the smell is making her sick and Natasha prepares her a hot chocolate with marshmallows on top.

“So what did he say?” Natasha asks, rubbing her back in comfort after Valkyrie finishes telling her meeting with Loki.

“He didn’t say anything. He just… sat down and I left before giving him the chance to react.”

“Val, you should have waited to see how he takes it in.” Bruce reprimands with his usual calm voice.

Natasha throws a reprimanding look at her boyfriend before continuing to console her friend.

“I know.” Valkyrie wipes her face. “I don’t think I’d be able to hear what he has to say to be honest.”

That same night, when she is beyond exhausted and wrapped in her blue duvet cover, Loki calls.

Valkyrie ignores it at first, letting it go through voice mail and closing her eyes. The call continues for the rest of the night. He sends her text messages, leaves several voice mails asking for her, and continues calling without taking a break. She gives in eventually, realizing that when the morning comes he will probably continue calling her and she would not get a blink of sleep that night.

“I’m sorry I did this to you.” His voice says on the other side of the line.

“Loki, I understand--”

“No, listen to me. Don’t try to make me run away from this. This child is mine too, and I want to be there.”

 Loki does not say much more after that, reassuring her that he will present for whatever she needs. When Valkyrie hangs up, she finds that getting sleep that night is going to be impossible anyway. She is going to be a mother and her child will have a father. The future is not crystal clear anymore, and she still needs to figure out her finances and her studies.

But one thing is for certain. Valkyrie Brunnhilde and Loki Laufeyson have nothing in common. Nothing except for a child growing in her womb.

 

* * *

 

At first, her parents are shocked at the news. They give her a reassuring words, telling her how proud they are and that she will be an amazing mother regardless of the consequences. Sure, they would have wanted her to have her career established, get married and then have kids. But life throws things in a different order sometimes and it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Thor and Jane are very happy about the pregnancy, even though they find it strange at first how Valkyrie and Loki could have ended up sleeping together. They also give her a friendly reminder that their wedding is less than eight months away, and joke that if she pops out the baby on their wedding day then Thor gets to be the greatest uncle in the whole world, causing his fiancée, Jane to roll her eyes in amusement and Valkyrie just laughs with happiness.

The idea of aborting the growing love she feels for this little stranger dissipates in her mind. How could she, in her case? Everything she thinks about somehow ends up related to babies, from the academic articles she reads at school to the cereal she eats in the morning.

Her graduate supervisor is also supportive, so are the classmates who she finds herself telling that this was unexpected. And if it weren’t for the random vomiting that comes in the early stages of this pregnancy. Valkyrie may say that her life is still going well.

That is, until she gets a phone call from an unknown number on a Thursday morning.

“Hi Valkyrie. I’m Frigga Odinson and I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me this afternoon.”

Valkyrie has to look at her phone in disbelief before putting it beside her ear.

“Please, I insist. We have lots to discuss. Meet me at the Starbucks café near Princess Street at around one. Does that work for you?”

“I, uh--”

“Perfect! See you then.”

The phone call ends with a click, with Valkyrie feeling more puzzled than this morning when she wanted at eating rice cakes with chocolate syrup.

One o’clock comes around and she finds herself walking towards the meeting point with hesitance. Although she practically lives at the university due to her academic commitments, she feels extremely underdressed when she spots a woman with long venetian blonde hair, cream colored dress pants, and a cashmere cardigan that clashes with Valkyrie’s own blue jeans and large orange sweater.

The woman, Frigga she presumes, stands up from her tall chair and offers a welcoming smile to Valkyrie.

“It’s really nice to meet you, Valkyrie.”

Frigga offers her hand to shake, but Valkyrie does not return the favor immediately, fidgeting with the straps of her backpack. “I’m sorry Mrs. Odinson. Truthfully, I never wanted this to happen. I was not even aware of your adopted son’s last name when we uh… I am going to keep the baby and Loki knows he isn’t forced to get involved.”

“I know.” Frigga takes the younger woman’s two hands in comfort. “When he first told me, I was shocked myself.”

“Trust me, I was too. I mean, I’ve been on contraceptives and--”

“But then I realized how good this is for Loki.”

“Excuse me?”

Frigga orders black tea for herself and a milkshake for Valkyrie, winking at her knowing that she might be having the weirdest cravings.

“My son has always followed what the people tell him. Even though he’s not my biological child, I truly treated him as my own the same as I did with his brother, Thor. I’m his mother, and if I saw that something was bad for him I would protect him from the danger. Valkyrie, darling, you’re bringing a blessing into his life.”

Yes, and she is having a hard time believing the things Frigga Odinson is saying. Valkyrie is still feeling uncomfortable and tense when their drinks arrive. Frigga tells her of her own pregnancy with her son, Thor and how rewarding it is to be a mother. She shares anecdotes of the times she’s asked her husband to get a takeout in the middle of the night, of how much happier she was after giving birth because she felt her life had meaning.

All in all, Valkyrie knows that this is not all there is to know about her child’s grandmother, but she does not press on for more information and chooses to chime in with her opinions every now and then. She shares a bit of her own family history when Frigga asks about her life. And strangely, she begins to grow more and more comfortable around the older woman.

“I cannot stress this enough. Whatever you need, I am here for you. This is my first grandchild and the consequences should not dull your experience of being a mother.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Odinson.”

“Call me Frigga. We will be seeing much more of one another in the future. The little one won’t be lonely.”

Frigga’s phone rings as she picks it up and starts to look around. Valkyrie sees as someone familiar walks into the café and the older woman waves at him. A blonde man with a toned body who happens to be Thor, Frigga’s son and Loki’s adopted brother, causing Valkyrie to smile happily.

“Thor, finally you came.” His mother smiled then introduces him to her. “This is my son, Thor.”

Valkyrie nodded and brush it off by waving her hand. “I know, he’s my friend’s fiancée.”

“Oh, I see.” Frigga widens her eyebrows then looks up at her son who smirked.

“Yeah, Mom. It’s true.”

“Next time, you better introduce, not just your fiancée and her family, but also her friends.” She scolded him by slapping his hardened chest.

Thor sheepishly scratched his head in embarrassment. “Sorry, mom.”

Frigga then faces Valkyrie and smiled. “Please forgive my son’s silly ignorance. He may be buff but sometimes he does not have the manners and brains like his younger brother, Loki.”

“Mom!” He groaned, his blush growing on his cheeks.

Valkyrie chuckles. “Oh. I agree with you, Frigga.”

The two women laughed at the blonde headed man as Valkyrie then spoke. “So, how’s my former nerdy roommate Jane? I’m starting to miss her already.”

Thor smiled. “Oh she’s fine, doing the usual cool stuff as an astrophysicist. She misses you too, you know.”

And this is how Valkyrie gets to know the two of Loki’s adopted relatives, the father of her child, by drinking a milkshake at the Starbucks café as if this was another sort of meeting, something completely unrelated with baby-talk. She concludes that Frigga and Thor will be a very good influence in her child’s future, happy to have gained the father’s adopted family’s support.

When Loki’s mother and brother drop Valkyrie off at her place. Frigga gives her a tight hug and suggestions on how to deal with the morning sickness and stretch marks. Thor then jokes saying that her advice is a bit unnecessary.

“Everything you say counts.” Valkyrie adds.

“Call me whenever you need. I am free almost, if not all, the time. That’s what comes with having a rich husband and being a housewife.” Frigga jokes.

When she gets out of the car, Valkyrie can faintly hear Thor say that he is very content with her. Valkyrie unlocks the door to her apartment with a smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch you sooner for the next chapter ;)


	4. Meeting The Future-In-Laws {Part II}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's the fourth chapter!!! Hope you enjoy this fic ;)

“Is it hard to believe that your baby is about the size of my car keys now?” Freya always asks and gives the strangest facts about being pregnant. Having never experienced herself, Valkyrie thinks her dear supervisor looks at having a baby through the objective, scientific lens. And that Valkyrie is now her guinea pig.

Valkyrie cannot blame her, though. Her own perspectives on pregnancy was like that too before. At twelve weeks, her little human is already the size of a car key, has a beating heart and eyelids to cover the developing eyes. Her clothes are fitting a lot tighter now, and she opts for loose shirts and sweat pants whenever possible in the unforgivable winter.

Luckily, Freya is allowing her to take as long as she needs in completing her degree, although she does not have much left. Her parents and Frigga, after a lot of insisting, deposited some of a fair amount into saving funds to help her with the baby. Even Natasha is excited about maternity clothes shopping.

Valkyrie cannot be any happier than this. Except for the fact that her bedroom is becoming too small to the idea of having a crib placed beside her bed, and that there are not enough shelves in the kitchen for baby supplies and food. Especially that her current living quarter is not child proof.

And so, she calls Loki one day and asks him for help in finding a new place to live. They’ve agreed on meeting once a week, sometimes every two weeks if the schedules get too hectic for one of them. Their meetings don’t last for much longer than three hours, and usually follow the same pattern of filling in each other’s lives, asking about Valkyrie’s symptoms, and maybe sharing a meal. He always offers to do more, quite aware of his absence in her life, but she always declines with the excuse that everyone else is taking too much care of her – his mother included – and that he does not need to worry too much.

But today, Valkyrie finds it fitting to ask for his opinion in what would become of their baby’s first home. She spent all of last week, looking at several listings and visiting some places that sounded much more appealing on paper than in reality.

“I have a list of places I want to check out today. Most of them are around the Colombia University, but knowing the household conditions of students in my situation I doubt I’ll find something that isn’t about to go down.”

They have the listings Valkyrie printed that spread on the kitchen table at his apartment. She cannot find the appetite in this place, declining Loki’s offer to get a take out.

“What about this one?” Loki points at a two bedroom apartment on the east side of New York after they have already gone to see three other options without a result.

“That one is a bit too far away for my liking.”

“But it’s near where I work.”

Valkyrie bites her lip in discomfort. “I just don’t know if I can afford the rent at this place.”

She only has her research assistant job at the University, which helps her living expenses, and a full scholarship that covers her tuition and books. This new place cost about the same as the one she currently lives in, but she would not have roommates to help her pay the rent. Natasha is just starting as a psychologist and Bruce does not get much from his scientific works yet, but they all help one another when it comes to go covering the bills.

Besides the option of going back to her parents’ place is near impossible since they moved to another city.

“I’ll help you pay for it.” Loki offers, and holds out his hand when Valkyrie is about to interrupt. “You won’t let me pay for your rent, so I’ll help you pay half of it and cover the expenses related to the baby. It’s a good place, close to my work. I can visit often and sleep with the comfort that my child is going to live in a good neighborhood.”

She still feels uncomfortable with the idea of Loki wanting to pay for everything.

 

* * *

 

After their discussion, they go to see the apartment, and Valkyrie is convinced when she realizes how easy it will be to take the public transit even though Loki tells her he can drive. In spite of his wish to provide more to her, she still prefers to remain humble about certain things. She does not want to become a pity party for him.

“The crib can go here.” She stands on one side of the room, her arms creating an imaginary rectangle around her. “And my bed can still fit. I mean, I’ll have to move the whole thing around once the baby goes to the other room, but it will work.”

She unconsciously rubs her belly, having adopted that habit since it’s begun to feel swollen. The apartment does not come with a furniture, and she may have to ask her parents for some of their worn out chairs and table. But it will be fine, she and the little one have a place of their own now, with a fully functioning kitchen and a bright future ahead.

“I’m honestly kind of excited.” She confesses. Her hand is still on her belly when she catches Loki looking at her with an expression she’s never seen before. He does not share any word, but Valkyrie can tell that in spite of their differences he’s just as excited as she is.

Moving to her new apartment is not difficult as she does not have many things to take with her. Bruce, Thor, Loki and her other guy friends take care of the big furniture while her girlfriends look after the decoration and the new furniture for the baby. Frigga and Loki’s adopted father, Odin, give her a crib as a present and she is in love with the white painted wood and the tiny mattress where her baby will be sleeping in less than a year.

 

* * *

 

Many days later when it is in her ultrasound that Valkyrie first hears her heartbeat. Yes, Valkyrie Brunnhilde and Loki Laufeyson are going to have a _‘daughter’_.

The clear _bathump_ of her daughter’s heart fills the room’s empty silence. It is almost impossible for Valkyrie to hear and not get emotional. The past couple of weeks have been a bit difficult with her roller coaster of hormones and studies, her back has been killing her, the swelling of her breasts made her go up a size, and her ankles do not even look like ankles anymore.

She realizes how it is all worthwhile when she hears that loud pulse and sees a cocooned growing human in the black and white monitor. And it is the most beautiful thing she’s seen in her life.

Loki remains silent beside her, taking in the sound of the heart he helped create. He does not say much else after they finish with the ultrasound, and she can only guess that he is impressed with how a life can grow from a tiny pea to a walking adult.

“Thanks for coming with me.” She says, getting on the passenger’s seat of his car with difficulty.

Valkyrie never doubts how grateful she is of Loki’s presence in spite of her initial insistence that he does not have to get involved. But after today, she can finally say that she feels like a mother as much as he feels like a father. She wants to embrace him and tell him he will be a great father but she has to restrain herself when she remembers that he will only be that to her.

Just her daughter’s father, maybe even a friend, but nothing more than that.

She gives him a picture of the ultrasound so that he learns where her head and her toes are. He says that he will keep it in a safe place and Valkyrie doubts that he is the kind of person who puts a child’s ultrasound image on their fridge.

Then they go to his work place, this being the first time she goes in the Bifrost Corp, Odin Borson and the founder, Hela Odinson, his illegitimate eldest daughter and the one who inherits the whole company after him. They both sitting in a lounge with Frigga when Loki and she arrive, and she can already feel scrutinized under the gaze of the older man and woman. Odin is not as involved as his wife in the development of his granddaughter, but has still shown support by buying presents and sending his regards whenever Valkyrie and Frigga meet up.

Hela Odinson, on the other hand, makes Valkyrie’s bones freeze. There is something about the way she looks at her, with a subtle judgment, that she finds it uncomfortable. She places a hand on her round belly, as if trying to protect her unborn daughter from someone like Hela.

Valkyrie does not fret too much about it, thinking that she may only have to see this man for no more than other five times in her life if she plays her cards well.

“It’s a girl.” Loki announces and his mother is the only one to get up and hugs them. She then takes Valkyrie by linking her arm and walks down to the first floor, and out to start their coffee date.

When Hela sees her heir holding a gift bag before walking out of her office, she asks the younger man to join him for a chat. Loki, as the obedient worker and a favorite _‘adopted’_ stepbrother he’s always been, agrees with the condition that they don’t take too long.

“So a daughter, huh.” Hela crosses her arms while Loki nods in silence. “Who would have thought? And how are you planning on staying in her life?”

“Valkyrie knows that she has my full support. If my daughter needs anything, I will be there for her.” He answers, in a calm yet serious tone.

The owner of the Bifrost Corp looks up and down at her younger stepbrother. Back when she was Loki’s age, people got married and had children left, right and center. They took the challenge, sacrificing themselves with whatever job that came their way. But times are different now; her grandfather founded a company that is meant to be passed down the generations in an honorable way even if she never had any children herself.

Which is why Hela is not happy with the situation that the person she’s been trying to mold as the head of one of New York’s biggest telecommunication companies is in. when she sees a threat, he needs to take the initiative and think what is best for the Bifrost Corp, its executives and its consumers.

“I think that you need to ask for a paternity test. Many times, women like her look for excuses like pregnancy to get more money in their pockets.”

“Valkyrie is not like that.”

Oh, how naïve he can be at times. Hela does not continue the conversation on that topic, knowing that he has already planted the seed. Now, he just needs to let it grow.

“That’s very honorable of you, Loki. Now.” She opens one of her drawers and takes out her phone book. “I want you to meet this young lady. Before you get up and leave though, please consider calling her. She may be a great asset to the company with her credentials, and I’ve heard that she’s really attractive in person. You are already twenty-nine and need to worry about finding a partner who matches with you.” She smirks at him while sliding the phone book towards him on the table.

Somehow Loki had an eerie feeling that something unpleasant is going to happen when Hela is insisting him to meet his _‘partner’_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no... who is this mystery "partner" Loki is going to meet up with?
> 
> Well, you will have to find out soon!
> 
> Catch you sooner for the next chapter ;)
> 
> REVIEW?


	5. A Chosen Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some are curious about how old these characters are. So I decided to put this here, just to give you guys idea of the characters' ages. ;)
> 
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
> Characters' ages  
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
> 
> *Valkyrie Brunnhilde: 27 y.o
> 
> *Loki Odinson: 29 y.o
> 
> *Thor Odinson: 31 y.o
> 
> *Jane Foster: 27 y.o
> 
> *Natasha Romanoff: 28 y.o
> 
> *Bruce Banner: 34 y.o
> 
> *Hela Odinson: 45 y.o
> 
> *Odin Borson: 63 y.o
> 
> *Frigga Borson: 55 y.o
> 
> *Freya Turner: 40 y.o
> 
> *Sigyn Olsen: 27 y.o
> 
> *Volstagg Nielsen: 50 y.o
> 
>  
> 
> Also the portrayals of the two new characters:
> 
> *Miranda Otto as Freya  
> *Emilia Clarke as Sigyn
> 
> So now you know the ages and portrayals of the characters. You can proceed to read the fifth chapter ;)
> 
> ENJOY!

Loki does not know what went down in Valkyrie’s mind to react like this.

When he gave her the present he bought earlier today, after having that strange conversation with Hela, he thought that she was going to be really happy. The tiny, white and pink dress seemed like a fitting gift for their future daughter.

However, it seems that Valkyrie’s opinion on the subject is not the same. He hands her the gift bag as she opens it and begins to cry out of nowhere. Not knowing what to do, Loki goes for the obvious and asks her what bothers her so much about the dress.

“It’s a _dress_!” Valkyrie exclaimed, taking a seat in her living room. “I don’t want my baby to be confined to gendered clothing! She shouldn’t be categorized as a girl before she can even walk and talk, without giving her own opinion of whether she wants to wear dresses or a tuxedo!”

At first, Loki is puzzled by her sudden words, having never thought of whether his daughter cares about what she wears when she can’t even eat by herself. He looks around with a tad of desperation in an attempt to find something that will comfort a pregnant, hormonal Valkyrie. His eyes land on the stacks of books he assumes she has spent all morning reading them. There is a vast selection on parenting guides and – to his surprise and understanding – a book on gender in early childhood.

Loki rolls his eyes without Valkyrie noticing him and sits down beside her. She is still angrily crying and clutching the dainty little dress he bought.

“I will return it tomorrow morning.”

“No! No, please don’t do that! I’m sorry, I just… I’ve been reading.”

He points at the stack of books with his thumb and she nods in return, pouting. Is it normal for women to become big babies while they are carrying one?

They ended up spending the rest of the evening eating cup noodles with processed cheese and watching movies. This is the first time Loki remembers spending so many hours with Valkyrie without feeling awkward about his lack of presence in her life. And, in spite of Hela’s earlier words, he finds that he is enjoying the idea of giving at least one full day with Valkyrie and their unborn daughter rather than three hours a week.

“Are you free this Saturday? I need to buy more clothes for her.”

“Sorry, I’m not. I have…” He hesitates for a second. “I have a date.” The paper Hela gave him with the phone number written on it feels significantly heavier in his pocket.

Loki knows that things between him and Valkyrie are not meant to work out in their favor. First of all, she does not show any sort of interest in him, and he does not want to imagine that something could eventually happen because things are already a lot messier than they should be. Sure, she is an intelligent woman and will be a great mother. But he has a different way of life that would never fit to hers; she would never be happy with him.

And he… and he would have to ignore the way his day glows when he sees her smile.

Hence why he needs to move on with his life and find someone more appropriate for the world he comes from. It does not mean that the blind date he has on Saturday night will lead to anything else, but he cannot keep his hands in his pockets while he knows that Valkyrie can just easily find someone to fulfill her romantic life.

Nevertheless, he would not choose any other woman to carry his child.

 

* * *

 

She wishes this moment had never happened.

No, she is not talking about her future daughter. There isn’t a day that she thanks the world for the little life growing in her womb.

It all starts when she calls Loki to come over to her apartment, Valkyrie’s excitement is no longer like a normal person’s. Every emotion she feels is heightened by her hormones, and it has become a normal routine to find her going from laughing to crying and back to laughing in less than a minute.

Natasha had just left, her arms carrying a stack of papers with brainstorm ideas for her friend’s daughter in baby shower. At school, Valkyrie is close to finishing her work at the laboratory and discovering a groundbreaking new data. She’s been having a great week with great decisions, to say the least.

So when Loki shows up, unaware of her intentions, she greets him with a warm smile before leading him to the living room. She tries to forget that he is seeing someone and moving on with his life, knowing that the news she’s about to share is something he would like to hear.

“So what has you calling me to come over here at midnight?”

It’s inconvenient, Valkyrie knows, but Loki has repeated many times in the past that he is being available at any time. At first, she would have never considered asking him to show up at such a late hour, but she is too excited to contain herself. She tells him to wait a bit longer, her bladder needing her attention before saying her announcement.

When she gets back from the bathroom, she stands in front of him and claps her hands. “I’ve chosen a name!”

Loki’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, he seems to not knowing for him to say a word as he spoke. “Really? What name have you chosen?” Curious is starting to grow on him from learning the name of their daughter.

“Athena.”

“Is that a… Greek name?”

“Yes, but it’s _more_ than that. Named after the Goddess of Wisdom.” A giggle, the type of her voice has not tried to make since her teenage years, escapes from her lips.

She disregards the tilt in Loki’s head after hearing that giggle.

Valkyrie then hands him a book that she borrowed from the library not too long ago. She opens the bookmarked page and shows him the title of the new chapter, on which talks about the goddess Athena. It gives a brief introduction on the origin of the name, and then on the important people who’ve had it through history.

“At first, I wanted name her based from Norway, Denmark or Sweden like Helga, Liv, Tyrelle, Greta or Vör in a traditional way since I was born from Scandinavia. Astrid is pretty cool, though honestly it doesn’t suit our daughter’s name. But it’s too old fashion to me, so instead I wanted name our daughter something new, outside from Scandinavia. Athena is perfect.” Valkyrie continues. “This is what I’ve been looking for. I wanted a powerful and beautiful name.”

Loki grins, because he can never truly smile. Sure he smiles on any other occasions though only in mocking, sarcastically or a smug. But this smile is genuine and happy. It’s like his facial muscles prohibit him from showing too much emotion – or that Valkyrie has never seen him do it. “I like how it sounds.”

“Right.” She rubs her large belly, affectionately. “Athena Brunnhilde.”

And it is as if the room dropped ten degrees in temperature. Loki slams the book on her coffee table and gives her a questioning look.

“Brunnhilde?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” His question is more of a demand. Valkyrie watches as he stands up from the sofa and goes to get a glass of water from her kitchen. Loki has been over so many times that he walks around her place like it is his second home. Although he’s never slept over her home, Valkyrie keeps a soft-bed in Athena’s future room just in case he or another one of her guests needs a place to sleep. Not like he needs one, anyway.

“Because _I_ am going to have her, Loki.”

She doesn’t want to mention how his mother isn’t too happy about the idea either, or how she’s been getting letters from Hela Odinson encouraging to keep her distance. This is her daughter, the one she will truly love for the rest of her life. Whatever happens between her, Loki and Athena should not involve anyone else and she only wishes to maintain a civil relationship with him in her own terms.

This is the first time she’s seen Loki so worked up about something like this.  The way his chest rises and falls as he contains himself makes Valkyrie feel a lot smaller than usual. Her hands fall away from her belly, and then crosses her arms in front of her chest in a defensive mode.

“She’s a Laufeyson—no, she’s an _Odinson_.” He states. “She’s my daughter as much as she’s yours.”

“Loki.” She starts to reason with him. “I will be the one to raise her, it makes more sense to give her my last name.”

Valkyrie does not realize how much her words are hurting him at that moment, but she’s only thinking as logically as she can. He’s already seeing someone else, it’s obvious that eventually he will marry and have kids who will become the heirs of his family company. That is not the future that she wants for Athena; by giving her maternal last name, she will be less bounded to the world that people like Hela lived in.

She doesn’t find the courage to say that, though. Instead, she says in a calm tone. “You’re dating someone else. Loki, it’s not like I will feel comfortable when someone asks for an _Athena Odinson_ and her mother does not have the same last name. You know as much as I do that things would never work out between us.”

Her mind is jumping in different directions. It hurts her to say it. It hurts her to look at his face, to know that she willingly carries his child, but that he is still as unreachable and impossible as the first night they met.

She doesn’t notice that he is no longer sitting down until he grabs her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him in the eyes. There is a sort of fire in them, the green flames that clashes with her dark ones.

“Don’t you dare say that again.” Loki’s words are harsh, but his actions speak much louder.

His mouth crashes on hers as he kisses her so hard that she almost fall backwards if it wasn’t because of his grip. Valkyrie cannot contain herself; the last time they’ve touched each other like this was the _only_ time and she cannot deny that her imagination runs wild with him on top of her every once in a while. Blame it on her hormones, or the fact that last time she got laid and ended up being pregnant.

She kisses him back, not even thinking of the consequences or the weight of his words. Her arms linked around his neck, pushing his face towards her to deepen her lips. She is careful of her little Athena, of not squeezing her belly too much between them. Loki runs his hands down towards it, also aware of his daughter keeping him from getting closer to her mother but no less affectionate.

That is when Valkyrie feels a sudden sensation and has to run towards the bathroom, leaving him behind. Her bladder has developed the worst timing known to mankind, but for once she is grateful for its unpredictably.

Valkyrie buries her face in her hands while she sits on the toilet, shaking her head in disbelief. How could she let herself go like that? Having a daughter with Loki is one thing, but kissing him while they fight, fully aware of his relationship status is a whole other thing. She fears that he may think she is taking advantage of his status, which she isn’t at all.

Heck, if things went her way in the first place, she would not have attended Jane’s engagement party in the first place!

A clicking sound of her front door closing brings her back to reality. Loki is gone, and she finds herself torn between wanting him to come back and never seeing him again.

She cleans herself up before making her way to the kitchen, only to find the glass Loki had drunk water from tipped over and about to fall off the table. She picks it up and rinses it in the sink, trying to keep her composure as normal as possible until the tears starts to stream down her cheeks.

Loki is unreachable, unstoppable, and impossible. And to kiss her like that, like she is the center of his world makes Valkyrie’s knees shatter as she slides down to the floor. She sobs so hard that she finds it difficult to breathe.

 

* * *

 

It’s two in the morning in her new apartment, with the full support of her family and friends, with Athena growing bigger every day, but Valkyrie has never felt so lonely.

At around four in the morning, she opens the top kitchen drawer, and lifts up the plastic organizer that keeps her cutlery to take out all of Hela’s letters she’s been collecting. They are not direct threats, but they ask for a paternity test, for her to move far away, to keep as much distance as possible between her and Loki because of the future of all Hela has worked for in building. The bitch does not seem to know her stepbrother that well, she thinks bitterly. She treats Loki like he is her personal doll, a mannequin that he gets to be manipulated until his last breath.

Valkyrie looks for her matches, collects all of those empty threats, and ignites a fire in her sink. She feels so defeated, so easily breakable that it surprises how long she’s lasted before turning it upside down. Her sobs became calmer and calmer as the letters burned away, turning into black ask and grey smoke. She cannot tell Loki about them, it would hinder his only chance of making it far in his life and his relationship with his family.

She grabs her cellphone and dials Natasha’s number.

“I can’t do this.” It’s the first thing that she says when her best friend picks up.

“Do you want me to come over?”

It’s almost four-thirty in the morning and the idea sounds appealing. “No, my place smells like smoke.”

“What happened?”

“We… I… he kissed me, Nat, I don’t know what to do anymore.” She gives her a brief summary of what happened, omitting the part that Loki is seeing someone else because it somehow stabs her heart a bit deeper every time she remembers.

“I’ll be there first thing in the morning.” Her friend promises.

“Thank you, Nat. You are great friend. Sorry to wake you up.”

“Little Athena is my first goddaughter. Anything for her and her mom.”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow?”

“Yes, but before you hang up. Why does it smell like smoke?”

“Oh, I was just burning the threats that the Founder of the Bifrost Corp has been sending me.” Her voice’s casual tone goes well with her growing sleep deprivation and apathy.

“She’s sounds like a real bitch.”

“You’ve _no_ idea.”

 

* * *

 

Loki knows how to mask his emotions. He’s done it all in his life, choosing to follow orders than to go against what his father, Odin and stepsister, Hela have to say. In all honesty, meeting Valkyrie has brought an incredible imbalance in the life he’s chosen to lead. He is supposed to follow his family’s footsteps, to take over the Bifrost Corp, and have a wealthy family like his adopted parents have. He’s never questioned their parenting style; he’s always considered how hard his father works to provide for the family and for his employees. Loki has never doubted that having a life like his father’s isn’t full of dignity. And after almost losing his beloved mother, he knows how valuable it is to her.

Thor is the original rebel of the family, choosing to follow his own career as a former military soldier to now a current Commander of the US Navy and handing down the title of heir to his adopted younger brother. Loki does not have anyone to burden with the responsibility, though and still feels resentment towards Thor for freeing his own life while tying him down to a future mandated by his elders.

However, his family dynamics completely changed when his mother, Frigga was diagnosed with breast cancer. The chemotherapy almost broke down any sort of relation he had with his parents and brother, but the successful recovery with the help of the best doctors only confirmed one thing in his life, his mother, father and brother are everything to him and if it wasn’t for the Bifrost influence, his mother would never have gotten the appropriate treatment.

Frigga calls Athena a blessing. After being so close to death, she takes her granddaughter as a sign of greater things happened in their family. Loki considers his future daughter the best surprise he’s ever had. He doesn’t want to call her a mistake; those are the events he regrets and Athena is not even close to that.

Which is why his only way to give his daughter the best life she can have is by selling his soul to the endless nights of work at the Bifrost Corp. After the last time he and Valkyrie fought, he’s thrown himself in his work, accepting whatever little favor Hela asks of him. He is still fully aware of his elder stepsister’s opinion on the matter, and of how she might be taking advantage of Loki’s vulnerable state to distance him more from Valkyrie. As a matter of fact, Hela only gives him a time off when she says that he will be seeing his future partner named, Sigyn.

And Sigyn is the last thing on his mind. Sure she is attractive, but it does not make himself feel attracted by her looks. He does not love her or even like her company. But the solid reminder that Valkyrie does not want anything to do with him still hits his chest like a hard stone and makes it difficult to breathe.

Whenever he sees Sigyn, they sit down for dinner at his apartment and then retreats to his bedroom, not wanting to think how the wrong woman is occupying the other side of his bed. He can’t have sex with her, he can barely even touch her. It’s all appearances for the best of the company and to keep hidden the fact that Athena’s mother is the one he constantly thinks about.

And like the asshole he is, he does not even consider Sigyn’s feelings in this whole arrangement. She is getting a large slice, he thinks, as she now works for the Bifrost Corp and has the chance to move up in the company.

Much to his luck, the business world does not worry too much about the personal lives of its top executives unless they date a celebrity or are on the brink of bankruptcy. However, Loki still finds himself wanting to share about Athena’s development after every interview he conducts on behalf of the Bifrost Corp and being unable to do so because he has to keep up with appearances.

Days pass by without hearing from Valkyrie. He gives her space, not knowing what to do about their situation himself. He does not know why he kissed her, why her decision to use her own last name bothered him so much. He only hears from her through his brother Thor, who finds out whenever his fiancée meets up with Valkyrie. They have also been busy with their wedding plans, ironically limiting their conversations to almost all the people invited to the ceremony.

It’s been five weeks without Valkyrie when Thor knocks on his apartment door.

“Brother.” The usual greeting does not even annoy him like it used to. At this point, Loki cannot recognize between feeling content or sad. It’s as if a large chunk of his life had been ripped out of his chest.

He lets his older brother in his apartment, but Thor does not move from his spot.

“Do you need something?” Loki asks, his hand still on the door knob.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come take a walk with me.” He begins. “A friend of mine has invited me to tour around the Art Gallery inside the campus at the University and I need someone accompany me. Would you, brother?”

Loki raised his eyebrow and asked. “What about your wedding plans with Jane?”

Thor waves his hand in reassurance. “Nah, Jane told me she can handle the rest on her own. Besides, she told me that you needed a brother in hand. So what do you say?”

He stares at him for a moment then shrugs slightly. “Fine.”

The way that Loki is dressed when he exits his apartment shows how young he is for his position. At twenty-nine, not many would think that the young man wearing a black pullover and jeans is in fact earning an unimaginable salary and is the heir of the Bifrost Corp. he feels less confined to his deadlocked life with these clothes on, though.

They reached the Colombia University by car, though Thor had originally wanted to take a public transit but Loki does not feel like he could handle that many people squeezed in a bus.

As they enter the main gate of the school, middle aged man with a scruffy brown beard walks his way towards the two and greets them.

“Thor, so glad you’ve come.” He reaches his hand for a shake with a big smile on his face.

Thor grinned and takes his hand in return then made a handshake before giving a manly hug and patted each other backs.

“It’s no problem, Volstagg my friend.”

Volstagg then faces Loki who is just stands there looking at them as the big man gives the younger brother a cheerful wave.

“Hey Loki.”

Loki smiled a bit and nodded as a reply.

Thor then snakes his arm around Loki’s shoulder and spoke to Volstagg. “So, care to tour us around the Art Gallery, my friend.”

“With pleasure, my dear friend.” He saluted slightly then turns around and leads them to tour around the campus.

 

* * *

 

Loki shoves his hands in his pullover’s pockets, barely paying attention to Volstagg’s endless lecture about the inspiration behind the art that covers the grounds of his work place. Loki is not familiar with the Colombia University like his brother, having never attended the university in the city like most of his classmates. After his senior year, he was sent to study abroad for eight years to get a business degree without his opinion on whether he likes the subject or not. Like most things, he just followed whatever path was laid in front because Thor had already disappointed the family once, and Loki did not want to miss his chance of being his father’s favorite after years of neglect.

He would have liked to study at this place. It’s close to home, well-known, and the old fashioned buildings surrounded by green trees that give him a sense of calmness that is difficult to find in the crowded city.

Volstagg leads them into a building as they pass by the Medical Science Faculty, filling them in on how their mother has been ordering catalogs from every newborn store in the country to find the perfect gifts for the baby shower. Loki tries to cloud his mind from thinking of anything related to Valkyrie, but cannot hide his curiosity in imagining how crazy of a grandmother his mother will be to Athena.

“And this is the Faculty of Science Engineering.” Volstagg points at a large banner in the lobby of the building they had just entered. It is renovated from the inside, though still retains its wooden grand staircase and the detailed carvings. “The labs are down this way. I’ll leave it to you, my friend.” He pats his blonde headed friend with a manly gesture.

“Thank you, Volstagg.” Thor smiled before he and his brother walked their way towards the lab.

Loki somehow already know what his brother trying to do. This was Thor’s intention when he asked to go out for a walk. The main question is how his brother found out that he has not kept in touch with Valkyrie for weeks, and how difficult it’s been for him, unless his fiancée Jane had told him about it. Loki looks around at all of the students wearing their lab coats, looking uniform in the ocean of glass materials and microscopes.

However, Valkyrie still sticks among her colleagues. She is on the other side of a glass door, looking at a paper she has been sitting on her round belly while her teeth chew the end of a pen. His heart stops, taking in as another student whispers something in her ear and makes her laugh really loud. This is the Valkyrie he’s never seen; the one who finds the meaning of her life in a laboratory and is happy with it regardless of how cloudy her future looks. She’s mentioned it before, how much she loves what she studies, but has never given Loki the opportunity to see it for himself.

His eyes are still fixated on her belly when Thor knocks on the door, catching one of Valkyrie’s colleague’s attention. His brother asks for her, and when Valkyrie gets up from her seat, Loki notices how her legs wobble a little because of extra weight she carries.

“Loki.” She says his name with a hint of surprise in her voice. “You look casual.”

The look Valkyrie gives Loki is trying to conceal the reminders of the last time they were together. That, he can tell.

“You look lovely, Val.” And so, he must follow the same game.

Her smile does not reach her eyes as she replied. “Thank you.”

“Have you been eating well?”

The bags under her eyes match his own, making him think in reality they do have some things in common.

Sometimes I feel like I want to finish a watermelon by myself, and other times I can’t stand the sight of food. The usual.”

Her arms are crossed in front of her chest, reminding Loki that he is not in his domain and that she is still defensive around him. Although he is the one who showed up—not on his own terms – he still her in her main territory. The appearance of her look, the white lab coat and the bulging belly makes her look empowering to his jeans and pullover.

He wants to talk about what happened, but cannot find the right words. He sees that she’s learned how to build up the same walls he uses when something gets too personal to handle. Valkyrie is not to blame, though, being fully aware that he is responsible for his own actions and his yearning for a woman he does not know how to handle.

“So uh, did you want to grab a milkshake? I can take my break now.” She offers.

Loki does not want the discomfort to come back between them. He’s realized that finding out he has nothing in common with Valkyrie makes his days go by a lot smoother.

“Sure, Thor is just--”

“Val.” His brother greets, neither of them aware of his trip to the restroom in the first place.

Valkyrie smiled at him with a lot more familiarity then Loki gets to witness it. He has to tighten his jaw to hold back his sudden desire to push his oaf brother away from the mother of his child. They begin to walk ahead of him, and Loki feels that the weight of his absence in Valkyrie’s life has doubled if not tripled, and that Thor seems to be filling in that absence pretty well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, At first I wanted to name their daughter, Vör, based on the norse goddess of wisdom but I scratched that option and decided to name her 'Athena', who is also the goddess of wisdom in Greek Mythology. So I hope you like the name that I choose for Loki and Val's daughter, if not... then I can't blame you if you don't like it. We have our own opinions, okay?
> 
> Catch you sooner for the next chapter ;)
> 
> REVIEW?


	6. Baby Showers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's another list of the new characters and their ages.
> 
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
> Characters' ages  
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
> 
> *Tyra Brunnhilde: 54 y.o
> 
> *Erik Brunnhilde: 63 y.o
> 
> *Sharon Carter: 28 y.o
> 
>  
> 
> the portrayals of the two new characters:
> 
> *Halle Berry as Tyra Brunnhilde  
> *Colin Firth as Erik Brunnhilde
> 
> There! Now you know the ages and portrayals of the characters. You can proceed to read the sixth chapter ;)
> 
> ENJOY!

Valkyrie has noticed before, though she never felt the need to make a comment.

Frigga may be a woman with grace within her years of motherhood and socialite lifestyle, a contrast to Valkyrie’s own characteristics. But as the two women sit down for another lunch together, the matriarch of the Odinson family opens up to the mother of her grandchild like she’s never done before.

“I got married at twenty-two and was pregnant with Thor at twenty-three. Odin’s parents agreed with mine that our union would strengthen the company, and I had no say on who I could be with since I was so young. I was nineteen, he was twenty-seven and with years of experience and a chance to have some sort of independence before settling down. It was my only way out of the house, thinking that being his wife would grant me a bank account that could take me to a place far away from New York. But then Thor was born and I never had the sort of freedom I wanted. Odin was immersed in his job, having already done his duty of producing an heir.

Then Loki came into our lives in adoption since I have a risk of maternal death if I produce another child. After Loki was welcomed into the family, Odin was too focused on building Thor up as a businessman to notice that his younger son also needed attention. I felt so lost; I loved my two boys equally but I saw how one suffered from the lack of attention while the other wanted a way out of his destiny. When Thor told us he did not want to work at the Bifrost Corp and instead pursue a career as a military lieutenant at the US Navy, Odin began to bring Loki into work. My youngest son had to compromise to his father’s approval by never following his own dreams. Odin and I were going through divorce when I was diagnosed, and it changed everything. After I won my battle against breast cancer, I knew good things would come our way. It saved my marriage, it made my children want to spend time with me, and it gave me a second chance. And now I get to meet my granddaughter.” Frigga gives her the softest, most sincere smile Valkyrie has ever seen.

And she wants to cry. Because nobody has ever opened up to her like that before, much less of a women like Frigga, who must have felt that not many people would appreciate hearing her story.

Valkyrie begins to remember the times she’s felt alone since the beginning of her pregnancy; alone and lost among her loved ones. She looks at Frigga, and thinks of all the suffering this woman has gone through and still finds the things that have been keeping her happy.

Nevertheless, she’s never felt any closer to Athena’s grandmother than anyone when she shared her battle with breast cancer. Frigga hides her chest really well, always wearing the right clothes to disguise the fact that she is missing her feminine assets. But she carries herself with the kind of dignity that Valkyrie admires and strives to one day accomplish it. Whereas the public eye may see her as a rich man’s wife, Valkyrie sees Frigga as the most humble human being on the planet.

She gets up from her seat, not even caring about the increasing struggle to stay on her swollen feet, and reaches her arms out until they are wrapped around Frigga’s shoulders.

“Thank you for sharing your story. You are one of the strongest people I’ve ever known.”

That same night, Valkyrie sits in her bed and begins to tell her unborn daughter inside her large belly on how much she is going to love her grandmother Frigga.

 

* * *

 

She stands in front of her bathroom mirror, having just stepped out of the shower. At thirty weeks, her body has gained almost all the weight it needs to gain during her pregnancy. Valkyrie never thought that she would have bigger breasts, and hopes that they stay after Athena is born. She looks back at a year ago, when she thought her life would only be about labs and engineers. Now her life revolves around finding a way of providing for a baby as a single mother.

Hela’s empty threats have subsided significantly. It seems that her efforts to keep Loki away are working in the dark-headed _witch_ ’s favor, for Valkyrie keeps encouraging the father of her daughter to concentrate on his work and social life.

Valkyrie knows she does not want to meet the girlfriend of Loki’s. She’s not jealous or frightened that Sigyn will not like her, she just does not want to get involved with that side of Loki’s life. There are things she wishes to stay away from him and Sigyn’s relationship so that Athena is not too affected by the fact that her mother and father will never be together. She knows that, over the years, her daughter will have a stepfather and a stepmother. That will be Athena’s reality. It’s such a foreign idea to her; her parents have been together since they were young.

And as if on cue, she hears a knock on her door. She covers herself in her bathrobe, walking out of the bathroom with a growing smile on her lips. All her worries for Athena’s future are set aside when she opens the door, two familiar people standing in front of her holding a bag of presents. Those two people are _her_ parents, Tyra and Erik Brunnhilde.

“Val! Oh look at you!” Her mother frees her arms from the gifts so that she can wrap them around Valkyrie’s. “You’re so much bigger now. Ah darling, where’s the camera? I don’t have any photographs with my pregnant daughter!”

Valkyrie’s parents settle in what would become of Athena’s nursery. Thankfully, Thor and Jane had an extra bed in their house and lent it to her last week. It’s a bit crowded with the baby’s furniture, but she cannot be any happier to have her parents in her new home. They sat down for lunch, which goes well into the evening with all of the things Tyra teaches her about motherhood.

Erik and Tyra Brunnhilde were in a secret relationship in college since she was a university student and he was her law professor. She was twenty while he was twenty-nine when they first met then after less than two years of dating, they got married right after Tyra graduated from college. They spent few years childless, choosing to enjoy the beauty of travelling while being young and with each other’s company. Valkyrie grew up hearing such stories of her parents’ many adventures in all parts of the world, always wishing to find love like theirs. They eventually settled down in Norway, where they raised Valkyrie until she graduated from high school.

After that, they decided to switch from their native home to the luscious trees and peaceful coast in the northern California. Valkyrie chose to stay and study at Colombia University in New York, as a form of independence and with the _secret_ dream of finding her soul mate in a classroom and travel the world with him. That clearly never happened, having such boyfriends **_‘and girlfriends’_** who never saw the world the same way she did. And now she is taking the journey through parenthood, something equally if not more exciting and scary.

Her mother pampers her with gifts and her father looks around her place, fixing whatever needs to be fixed.

Tomorrow is her baby shower, which will be held in her apartment, and hopes to have enough energy to entertain her guests for the whole day.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Valkyrie is _– to say the least –_ shocked.

Her mother and Frigga get along like the best of friends. Her mother’s wrinkle lines are slightly noticeable with the matriarch says. This is something completely unimaginable, seeing Frigga, one of the richest women in the city, talking with Tyra, a woman who comes from a contrasting past.

“Hey Nat. Do you think we’ll be like that when we are older?” She whisper to her Russian friend, who is busy getting the nonalcoholic drinks ready for the baby shower.

Natasha looks up when she hears the giggling voices coming from Tyra and Frigga.

“We’ve always been like that. And we’ll always stay that way.” She winks. “How’s the little one feeling today?”

Valkyrie places a hand on her belly and runs it affectionately. “She spent all morning kicking. I think it’s because she hears my parents’ voices constantly talking to my belly.”

Jane and Sharon arrive soon after, and Valkyrie’s mother starts talking about their childhood to Frigga, who finds the stories of how Valkyrie and her friends used to dress up like superheroes extremely entertaining.

“It is incredible to see how a few years ago they were talking about the future and now it’s happening.” Tyra comments with a nostalgic tone.

Valkyrie smiles, embracing the warmth of being surrounded with the women she wants Athena to look up to. Natasha, being the godmother, made sure that her apartment was decorated with soft lavenders and white as a homage to Valkyrie’s childhood favorite color _(and not because they are feminine colors)_. She took care of coming up with games, of making everybody feel comfortable, and the food was just amazing. Jane and Sharon gave her diapers and clothing for her little Athena; Freya gives her gift cards in baby stores and books on parenting; her parents, a diaper changing station; and Frigga, a letter that she was instructed to open after the baby is born.

Valkyrie is more than pleased with all of the material gifts she got. But more importantly, she wishes to see the good qualities of these women in Athena when she grows up.

It is after most of her guests leave that Valkyrie is presented with the most unexpected surprise. Natasha goes home after cleaning her kitchen, Tyra decides to join Valkyrie’s father in visiting some old friends around the city, and Frigga is waiting for her chauffer to pick her up.

She hears a gentle knock on her door, thinking that it must be one of her friends coming back to retrieve a forgotten item. Valkyrie wobbles her way to the entrance door of her apartment all the while hearing the matriarch gathering her purse. After opening her door, she sees Loki standing on the other side, hands in his pockets, trying not to look directly into her eyes.

Valkyrie pauses before speaking, not quite expecting to see him on the day of her baby shower. She remembers mentioning that it is usually an all-female affair _(except for her father)_ and that he does not have to worry about being present.

 She opens her mouth once it’s all clicks in her brain.

“Hey, came to pick your mom?” Valkyrie cannot believe how distracted she can get during pregnancy. That and she does not know what else to say to Loki.

After all, he is _only_ the father of the child she is carrying.

Loki nods. “And I have something.” He takes one hand out of his pants’ pocket, placing a small silver envelope in Valkyrie’s palm.

She raises an eyebrow in curiosity, and cannot contain herself before lifting the flap and revealing what is inside. She pulls out a lilac gift card, similar to the one Freya had given her, adorned with cursive white writing and the drawing of a lotus flower.

“For a spa?” She asks, once again wanting to slap herself mentally for pointing out the obvious.

“It’s not too far from here, and you can go as many as you’d like. Just let me know when you want it recharged.” Loki informs after shrugging his shoulder. He shifts on his feet after an awkward silence settles between them, and has to divert his eyes as he adds. “I read it in a parenting book that you must be feeling uncomfortable at this stage. So going to a spa will help.”

Valkyrie still does not say anything, and has to snap out of her trance after staring at the plastic card in her hand for what it feels like an eternity. She finds Loki’s eyes and gives him a soft smile, the sudden urge to wrap her arms around his torso making her take a step closer. She stops herself before any sort of physical contact occurs, though, remembering the last time she showed too much emotion towards Loki and that caused them to end up kissing and walking on eggshells for weeks.

“I… thank you, Loki. It’s really nice of you.”

It’s like his shoulders become straighter and his demeanor a little more confident. Valkyrie knows that he wants to be around more often in spite of her refusals, and has not imagined how much it must be hurting him to be kept away from the development of his unborn daughter. Since his visit to her laboratory, they’ve maintained civil contact through phone calls and the odd chance that they briefly bumped into each other at the Odinson Mansion when Valkyrie visits Frigga.

She does not want to think of how his absence affects her too. He should have continue to live his own life, getting into a relationship with Sigyn. Valkyrie will continue living hers, knowing that there are no more intersections in their lives except for Athena. And she is fine with it, she repeats in her mind, she is fine raising their daughter on her own and will not be disappointed in herself when Loki fulfills his love with another woman.

“I--”

“Thank you, really.” She interrupts. “You didn’t have to, but I won’t deny that it will come useful.” This present is just a small sign of how he thinks of her, and she’s not ready to accept it. “I’m also really happy that you’re doing well. She seems to be keeping you busy.”

Saying Sigyn’s name hurts a little within her, and the discomfort of having all of that extra weight is enough for her.

However, before Loki could attempt to say anything in response, his mother appears from the kitchen. “I’m all ready to go, Loki.”

Frigga kisses Valkyrie in her cheek, reminding her of their lunch meeting next week and saying that Tyra is more than welcome to join them. Valkyrie mutters a goodbye to Loki before closing her door, the last guest already gone. She makes her way towards Athena’s future nursery, choosing to distract her thoughts from her daughter’s father by attempting to reorganize the furniture with her growing belly getting in the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch you sooner for the next chapter ;)
> 
> REVIEW?


	7. The Wedding and... Labor?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's the seventh chapter, readers!!! Hope you enjoy this fic ;)

“Do you, _Thor Odinson_. Take this woman to be your beloved wedded wife?”

Thor stared at Jane with such affection in his eyes, smiling. “I do.”

The priest turned to face Jane who is also staring at him with the same expression as her beloved.

“And do you _Jane Foster_. Take this man to be your beloved wedded husband? In sickness and in health, till death do you part?”

“I do…” She said softly.

“Then by the power invested in me by God. And now I declare you _husband_ and _wife_ …” The priest smiled at the couple who are still staring at each other with longing, waiting for the kiss that every wedded couples favored in during their wedding days. “You may kiss the bride.” He nodded at Thor.

The blonde headed man lifts the veil away from her face, putting from behind then cups his hands on her cheeks as the bride and groom lean their faces towards each other and kissed. The guests who witness the couple’s display affection, awed at the sight of them while Thor’s friends, the so called _‘Avengers’_ gang, whistled and yelled for cheering their large blonde headed friend causing Thor and Jane laughing at the group.

The bride and groom glow as they walk down the aisle, her white gown followed after a train of lace and flowers. Thor beams happily as he looks down at his new wife, and Valkyrie can feel the happiness radiate from her friends as they officially become one as the newlyweds. The cheers coming from the guests are so loud that she can’t hear anything but joy and good words.

Valkyrie joins the rest of the bridal party, led by Darcy and Loki as the _Maid of Honor_ and _Best Man_. The bridesmaids are dressed in red while the groomsmen match with their ties. She hooks her arm around Bruce’s elbow, who previously told her to lie her weight on him if her ankles hurt too much. Valkyrie feels a huge comparison to her slender friends, once again being reminded that she is due anytime now.

She does not want to look towards her right as she walks down the aisle, knowing that Sigyn is standing beside Heimdall who is the family’s guardian and the closest father figure to Thor and Loki as she is too afraid to finally put a face to the name that belongs to in Loki’s life.

Although she wishes to see more of Jane’s beauty in her wedding gown, Valkyrie cannot wait until she can get to a bathroom. Athena is sitting right on top of her bladder and her nerves are not helping either.

The bridal party is greeted at a reception with exquisite food and drinks for its guests. The new Odinson couple beams while the speeches happen, first Thor’s parents and then Jane’s godfather, Erik Selvig, since her parents died when she was just a child, then next was Thor’s childhood friend and ex-fiancée Sif, who seems to have an affection towards him when they were teenagers but Thor considers her only as a friend and she was okay with that. She told them that she is happy for Thor that he gets to be married for love, even though it’s not her yet still, she accepts the fate that she and Thor will always be _remained_ friends, nothing more. Then after Sif’s, followed by Darcy’s sentimental remarks of having a great closest friend like Jane and Loki’s concise words.

“I honestly thought that you would grow old and die alone since your engagement with Sif was over, despite flirting with other ladies when we were teens back then.” Causing Thor protest but Loki raised his hand for him to continue the speech.

“But that is until you met Jane… and that thought changed my mind.” His blonde headed brother relaxed and smiled as he listens to his speech. “I guess you could say that I am truly happy for you both. Even though you two are different, one who is all the brawn while the other who is all the brains, you two are fitted together despite the opposites. And I hope you both will enjoy a long and happy life… I never thought you could make it, brother.” Loki concludes his speech with a slight smirk, raising his champagne.

Valkyrie is reminded of what she first found attractive in Loki. In spite of his rather closed off attitude, he knows how to carry himself in public due to his social pedigree. She unconsciously rubs her belly, wondering if her daughter will turn out with the same poise as her father.

This marks forty weeks since the engagement party, since the night she met Loki and they conceived Athena. To some people, it feels like a long time ago. However, for Valkyrie, it went by much faster than she expected. Now they just have to wait until Athena is ready to come into this world, and Valkyrie tries not to think about the pressure of going into labor.

That is until she goes to the bathroom for the umpteenth time that night and her water breaks before she reaches the toilet.

“Shit.” She mutters, looking down at the pool created in between her legs.

Pepper, is the first one to see her friend when she enters the bathroom. “Oh my God, Valkyrie.”

She responded by a grunted pain as Pepper knows what that meant.

I’m going to get Tony and we will drive you.” She offers.

“Bring Natasha here first, please.”

And with that, she rushed out of the bathroom.

Valkyrie holds onto her belly, feeling a contraction manifest. She breathes in and out, in and out, leaning on the counter to keep her balance. Her hair, decorated in a low bun with soft curls, begins to stick to her neck as she feels the bathroom becoming hotter.

It seems that she will never have the chance of wearing a pretty dress without getting dirty with something liquid, she thinks sarcastically, and then she imagines how Loki may react to a comment like that one.

The contraction interrupts her distraction, making her let out an uncomfortable noise as the bathroom door opens again. Natasha comes in then Jane and Sharon in tow. Valkyrie is not paying much attention to what they are saying, allowing her friends to grab her by the arms and carry her towards the back exit.

“Okay, let’s get you to the hospital.” That’s Natasha’s voice.

“Val, you’re going to be a mom. I’ll be at the hospital after we finish the reception.” Jane’s statement sounds a lot more surreal to her ears.

“Somebody needs to tell Loki! I’ll go get him.” Sharon disappears by rushing her way out of the bathroom, but Valkyrie is too preoccupied trying to keep her breath as it dawns on her.

_‘I’m going to be a mother.’_

It’s the same mantra she recited when she first found out she was pregnant.

“I’m going to be a mother.”

“Yes, darling, you are going to be a hot mom. Now get in the car.”

Natasha secures the seatbelt around Valkyrie’s belly, giving it a soft rub before igniting the car and making their way to the hospital. On the ride there, she reassures that Bruce will not be mad that they left without notice and that he will arrive there as soon as he can.

Valkyrie lets the spring nighttime air freshen her neck as she rolls down the window, feeling too constricted inside the car. She thinks that she needs to tell her parents and Loki, that he will not forgive her if he’s absent from this. No, he won’t be absent. He’ll be there when Athena is born.

“Don’t feel too insecure about it. Loki will be there in a heartbeat." Sharon went to tell him.

At this point she is not even aware that she is thinking out loud.

 

* * *

 

Loki arrives at the hospital not long after Valkyrie is hooked into the IV. He enters her hospital room in spite of the nurses’ advice to let her rest before having visitors. His black tuxedo is still in perfect condition, his hair is in place, yet his face shows more emotion than she has ever seen. Valkyrie, on the other hand, knows that her makeup is smudged all over her face, her hair bun is a mess, and the hospital scrubs do not flatter her.

She cannot care less, though, for Loki rushes to her side and places his hands on her belly.

“She’s coming.” He mutters, still not believing it.

Valkyrie wants to say something, but another contraction interrupts her and she begins to breathe heavily. At first, Loki is worried, but when a nurse comes and cordially tells him to leave the mother-to be until she feels better.

“Don’t worry.” Valkyrie pants. “I’ll be fine.”

The epidural comes in after four hours of laying in same bed. Her pains go down letting her rest for a bit before she hears the door of her hospital room open.

Loki comes in while holding a water bottle, still wearing the same tuxedo, but this time with the ends of his tie hanging loose on the sides. He sits on the chair beside Valkyrie’s bed and rests his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together. Valkyrie her eyes, still feeling uncomfortable as she turns her head towards him.

“Your parents are outside.” Loki informs her. “They came to visit while you were sleeping. Here,” He offers the water bottle to Valkyrie and she drinks a big gulp. “My mother is on her way with Heimdall.”

She nods, letting him know that she is listening. “Did the newlyweds have fun?”

“I can’t really tell you, to be honest. When Sharon told me I left without telling my brother where I was going.”

It seems like a while since they’ve held a normal conversation, and Valkyrie laughs to herself at how mundane their current situation appears. Yes, leaving the party without an announcement is something she and Loki are very familiar with at this point.

“Natasha is at your place getting your diaper bag ready.”

“That is something that she would do, immersing herself in what she calls her _‘godmother responsibilities’_.” Valkyrie wants to wiggle her fingers to make air quotes but finds no strength in her arms.

“I’ve been carrying this, though.” He pulls out something from his pocket. “One time you said you preferred gender neutral clothes.”

It takes her a moment to realize that it is a small green sleeper, fit for a newborn baby. Valkyrie feels her tears pool in her eyes, taking in Loki’s consideration of carrying the small piece of clothing in his pocket, ready in his own way. She has to fight back once the cry begins, and swallow a lump before speaking.

“I want you there when she comes.” Her voice still cracks. “You deserve it, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I’ve tried to push you away. You’ve wanted to be there and I’ve had a hard time accepting it. Please, don’t leave until Athena is with us.”

She feels a warm hand on top of hers and the tears now flows to her cheeks.

“Thank you.”

It might be the drugs, or it might be the hormones and nerves but Valkyrie knows in that moment, in spite of their circumstances, Loki will always have a special place in her heart. She does not want to think that in this silent moment, where his hand is still on top of hers, she feels that there is clearly something bigger growing in between them. Something bigger than Athena’s, and that it does not have a definition yet.

“What made you want to invite me into your apartment that night?” She asks, feeling that this is the right moment to get the answer to the question she’s thought about it for the past nine months.

Loki purses his lips as he thinks. After a pause, he shrugs his shoulders. “What made you want to come?”

Funny how one thing leads to one another, and then an unexpected result occurs and one has to deal with the consequences. They are the prime example of water and oil trying to mix together, finding that perfect balance before being completely separated.

Valkyrie wishes that they could have continued the conversation. It is long overdue, and finding the right moment to discuss whatever that is in between them appears that will never come. The hospital door is opened once again, and she immediately feels the absence of his hands when a woman with her golden blonde wavy hair and her forest green eyes walks in.

“Loki, I think you should go home and change.” She is wearing an ivy green party pencil dress and her makeup intact.

And in spite of her semi-conscious state, Valkyrie makes the connection right away.

This is Sigyn, Loki’s girlfriend, the woman she has been postponing to meet for a while. The reminder that Athena will one day have a stepmother, even if it isn’t Sigyn herself. Nonetheless, she represents the potential that one day Valkyrie’s daughter will be influenced by a woman she does not know and may try to treat Athena as her own child.

Sigyn is a reminder that the idea of Loki being with someone like Valkyrie, in spite of having a kid together, is out of the window.

Valkyrie tries to pay attention to what they are saying, but does not catch anything that is communicated before Loki’s girlfriend leaves with her arms crossed and stomping clicked-heeled footsteps.

Sure, she wishes she would have met Sigyn out of the hospital, without her baby weight, and maybe after taking a long shower. But once again, not everything works in her favor. Ever.

Loki does not mention of Sigyn for the rest of the night, and neither does he leave her side when Erik and Tyra dropped by, followed by Frigga. The nurse comes and goes from her hospital room, the visits happening more often as the sun begins to appear from outside of her window. Valkyrie feels the contractions happening in shorter intervals, feeling that the moment is approaching.

 

* * *

 

It is after twelve hours of labor that Athena arrives through natural birth. After the doctor tells Valkyrie to give one last push, and Loki hold onto her hand while her mother holds onto the other, all the noise in the room is silenced by the wail of a newborn baby.

“Congratulations, it’s a girl.”

At this point, Valkyrie is too exhausted to say anything but her arms welcomed the crying baby girl bundled in a cloth, and she takes in how small and perfect her daughter is. She holds Athena against her chest, unable to separate her eyes from the black hair and the tiny fists that she created. Her mother kisses the top of Athena’s head and whispers ineligible words. Then she is gone, and it is only Loki, Valkyrie and Athena left in this room.

“She’s beautiful.” She can hear the contained emotions in Loki’s voice.

“She is _all_ you.” Valkyrie adds.

 _Their_ daughter.

"Welcome to the world, _our_ darling Athena..." She softly spoke, smiling down at her newborn daughter.

She never thought that life could be so dysfunctional and so perfect at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!!! Athena is now welcomed into the world! Loki and Val are so going to spoil their cute little princess in the next few chapters.
> 
> Catch you sooner for the next chapter ;)
> 
> REVIEW?


	8. Big Brother to Baby Brother Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am terribly sorry for making you wait! One reason for that is due to my school work (-___-)". God I hate it, But no matter cuz Here's the eighth chapter you've all been patiently waiting, readers!!! And for making that up to you readers, I will be posting the ninth chapter very, very soon ;) So I hope you enjoy this fic ;)

_***Aesthetic of Valki Modern AU's "Something In Common*** _

_**~Edited by me ;)~** _

 

* * *

  

Baby Athena Brunnhilde was born at 20:34, weighing a healthy eight pounds. She came into the world with a full head of black hair, light tan skin, ten fingers and ten toes, two beautiful green eyes, and a tiny button nose. Right now, she is sleeping in a crib beside her mother at the hospital after the doctor advised that they remain under control for two days to ensure that she is, in fact, a healthy baby. And according to every person who meets her, she is already the spitting image of her mother.

In spite of Loki’s disagreement on the choice of his daughter’s last name, Athena was registered as a Brunnhilde to make things less complicated for Valkyrie. He has to repeat the name in his brain to get used to the idea of his daughter not having his own last name. He has to think of the perfect timing to convince Valkyrie that Athena should also be recognized as an Odinson, even if she does not grow up like one.

Loki is still wearing the same tuxedo from two nights ago, not even bothered. He has not showered, as he had chosen to stay by his daughter and her mother’s side until he was sure that they were fine.

Sigyn gave up on calling his cellphone the night before, leaving fifty missed calls and twenty three voicemails. Loki has not heard a single one of them, not wanting to get down from cloud nine. He is a father now, with responsibilities bigger than trying to please a girlfriend he does not even like.

He looks back on how he got to where he is. Sure, he is dating Sigyn because Hela would not get off his back if he isn’t with someone from their social circle. It does not mean he is happy with her; in fact, Loki fully knows that spending his life in abstinence is a much better choice than waking up to Sigyn’s face every morning. It’s not the woman’s fault that he isn’t interested. Sure, she is a good catch, but Loki has never been interested in women like her.

He prefers someone who makes him feel at home. And not the home he grew up in, but rather a home that is foreign yet he yearns for its comfort and familiarity.

Loki looks into the half empty glass in front of him and picks it up, moving it in circles in sync with the jazz music playing in the background of the small bar. The seat beside him is taken, and he turns to find the person he was waiting for.

“So I’m officially now the uncle, right?” His brother, Thor asks, patting him in the shoulder.

Loki chuckles. “In your dreams, big oaf.”

Whereas Loki has not showered in two days, Thor is already wearing a pair of comfortable dark blue jeans and a long sleeve red and black printed buttoned shirt. To outsiders, they may look like an odd pair of brothers, one of them beaming with colors while the other choose black and white _(or green)_. However, the closest friends as adopted brothers know that their bond goes beyond being childhood best of friends.

Thor takes a sip from his large glass of beer. “No, but seriously. Am I considered now to be an uncle really? I told you and Val that if the kid is born on my wedding day that I would get the honors.”

“ _Athena_ was not born on your wedding day.”

“Day after, it’s the same thing! The party didn’t finish until our parents found Volstagg with Hogan and Valkyrie’s advisor- I think her name’s Freya? - at the bar this morning.” Thor adds. “So, am I?”

Loki observes his brother and closest companion, who seems to be legitimately concerned over this matter. He sighs, remembering that this is the same man who just married the love of his life, who probably makes such better decisions than Loki ever has. Thor is one of the only constant things in his life that he does not mind keeping around.

“Nobody would ever replace you as my beloved oaf of a brother, Thor.” He confesses. It takes a moment for his brother to register those words, but once he does, his blue eyes close from the brightness of his smile.

“Glad to know that your brain is still working, brother.” The muscled blonde picks up his beer mug and cheers. “Can you believe it? I’m married, and you’re a dad. What the hell has happened to our lives?”

Really, how long ago was it that they were at school, competing over the stupidest things? Or that time when their family’s friend and teacher, Heimdall, confessed to betting on those competitions with his colleagues? When Loki left for school and came back, all ready to enter the adult world of private corporations while Thor was still figuring out what to do with his life? When their mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, he made his way to military school as his own path rather than become like his father.

Now here they are, in their early 30s, one married and the other with the responsibility of a child. It feels like, compared to the other people of their age, the brothers have grown up too fast. But life has twists and turns. Somehow Thor found the love of his life at twenty and felt ready to marry her at thirty-one, while Loki will soon take over the reign of their family’s company and cannot stop thinking about what kind of life Athena will lead.

Sure, to the outsiders, they are not mature enough for the choices they’ve made in their short lives. But they both know what they are capable of and will deal with the consequences when they come.

“So… how are things with Sigyn?”

Loki twists his mouth in discomfort. “I’m just staying with her until our big old witch of a sister, Hela gets off my ass.”

“Yeah, that gold-headed mewling quim’s never been your type. Hence why you haven’t met her until now.” Even Thor knows that the relationship Loki has with Sigyn will not last.

“It’s the same thing as always, though. Hela and father want me to think for the company. I’ve never been told to think for myself.”

He finished his drink and orders another one.

“But have you, Loki?” Thor only calls him by his first name when he is being serious.

Loki shrugs his shoulders, choosing not to answer that question. “I don’t want my daughter to be like that. To be told what to do from a young age, who to date, who to interact with.”

They remain silent for a while until Thor begins to talk about his honeymoon destination. Loki does not fully listen, already used to his older brother’s ongoing rambling. He had developed a way of picking up the important things of the conversation while tuning out the rest, and it is a skill that has come useful when Thor opens his mouth.

However, there is one thing that unintentionally catches his attention ever since he and his brother visited the university to see _her_.

“So… you like Valkyrie then.”

It isn’t even a question. Loki connects his eyes with Thor’s, know that his friend reads him like an open book in spite of his attempts to conceal certain traits. After another moment of silence, Thor nods once, finally understanding the information that Loki struggles to grasp every single day of his life. He asks for another beer then cheers, and drinks it down in a gulp.

“She’s a really awesome girl, intelligent and responsible.” The blonde explains more to himself than to his younger brother. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t like her. You already have a kid with her!”

“It’s harder than that.”

  
Yeah, so she’s poor and not of the same pedigree as our **_‘big old witch of a sister’_**. So what? Just leave Sigyn and run off into the sunset with Val and my adorable little niece.”

“She doesn’t feel that way.”

“How are you so sure about that?” Thor raised his eyebrow in confusion. He sees that situation without thinking of the consequences. “Have you ever asked her?”

“I can’t leave my life so easily like you did back then and you know it.”

“But if you could, would you?”

Loki feels like a wall is appearing between him and Thor, as if it was preventing him from seeing through his brother’s eyes. He thinks about all of the sacrifices that would have to be made, of how scary it could be to leave his life behind, without knowing how to provide for Athena. He cannot delve too deep into that scenario; he does not know how Valkyrie feels and is too afraid to ask.

He feels constricted, stuck in a cage where every day he wakes up and follows orders, from being with Sigyn to be working under Hela. It is almost as if the chance of quitting that life is impossible.

“I can’t really think about that shit right now.” He says, putting some bills down on the table and getting to leave. “The only thing on my mind right now is Athena.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you guys for patiently waiting!
> 
> Catch you sooner for the next chapter ;)
> 
> REVIEW?


	9. A Family Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! As promised, here's the ninth chapter, readers!!! Hope you enjoy this fic ;)

 

Life as a new mom is never easy. Much less when she is a student and a single mother. Valkyrie’s parents left her apartment a month after Athena’s birth, fully aware that they are occupying too much space and that the mother and daughter needed to strengthen their bond in this early stage. Freya, gave her permission to take an indefinite amount of time off from her studies while attending her research whenever possible.

Although Valkyrie does not want to confess it aloud, if it weren’t for Frigga and Loki’s financial help, and the money she still receives from her research work, she would not make it. At least Athena has a crib to sleep in, milk to drink, and some clothes to keep her warm. The new thing about being a mother still feels awkward with all the baby weight she put on, but knows that trying to lose all of her weight at once is nearly impossible with the attention her infant daughter requires.

Natasha and Bruce visit Valkyrie often, the godmother knowing how lonely it can get with only a baby for as a company. Her mother, Tyra calls her every night to get updates on how Athena is doing. Loki visits often too, and has even taken her spare bed in Athena’s room as a secondary home when the nights get too rough for their daughter and Valkyrie needs to sleep.

She is grateful, truly, in spite of their compromising situation. Loki is an excellent caretaker, reaching Athena before the baby lets out her first cry. He reminds Valkyrie that she needs to eat when she has been up for two days straight. He takes Athena out on walks when the weather is nice. His apartment is almost forgotten, both parents knowing that Sigyn resides there and she is not too crazy about having to share her boyfriend with the baby.

They rarely mentioned her, much to Valkyrie’s good temper. The last thing that she wants to be reminded of is that the father of her child belongs to another woman.

Nevertheless, she has never seen so much love in her life. Sure, Valkyrie knows that she loves her little bundle of joy unconditionally. She never imagined how much a parent commits to a child in terms of time, social life, emotional labor, and sacrifice. She would not have any other way; Athena is the new light in her life. Valkyrie knows she feels all of these things, and that they are solidified in the mess around her house because her daughter gets much more attention than everything else.

But she gets to see this sort of love when Loki is with Athena. When she sees him gently picked up the baby from her crib and place her small head on his shoulder. When he pats her back to let her burp out after feeding her milk. When his expression softens as Athena wraps her tiny fingers around his index finger. When she opens her sleepy green eyes and stares right into Loki’s identical ones. When Valkyrie can see the unbreakable bond that already exists between them.

Love radiates from between father and daughter, and Valkyrie imagines herself in Loki’s position, picturing the way that her face changes expressions whenever Athena does something so sweetly gentle.

Her daughter is incredible. Sure, she sleeps, eats and poops and that is all she does, but every day Valkyrie learns something new about the little life she’s created and thinks about the way her eyes adjust to the light and her skin starts to feel different textures.

It is two months after her birth that Valkyrie first leaves her apartment. In fact, nobody except Loki knows that she’s spent her time in bed every chance she’s had to go out. If Natasha were to find out about her lack of outside air, then she would not see the end of the day. The only reason as to why she left her apartment with Athena that day was because Frigga insisted on seeing her granddaughter at her house.

And when Frigga Borson wants something to happen, she makes it happen.

 

* * *

 

"Okay Athena, smile for mommy." she readies her mini Instax camera _(which Natasha and Bruce gifted her as for being the new mother)_ when Athena just stares at her mother with her big green doe eyes then made a small smile as Valkyrie clicks the camera. When the photo paper immediately slips up as she took out the photo and blows the ink dry. Valkyrie finally looks at the photo and smiles.

“She looks just like Loki.” The new grandmother takes her and places the little infant in her arms then points out, rocking Athena now suddenly asleep peacefully. “Valkyrie, would you pass me that blue photo album and I’ll show you.”

Valkyrie reaches for a large album with a golden seal carved on its cover. She opens to the first page of photographs, and is greeted with an old image of a golden headed little boy holding a six month old baby. Thor’s radiant smile is contrasted by Loki’s close to crying face, yet the older brother looks too happy to be holding the baby to notice what is happening about.

“This is the first time we let Thor hold Loki. He was so happy, but he did not even realize that Loki needed a diaper change.”

A giggle escapes out of Valkyrie’s mouth, along with the mental image of a baby Loki doing what babies do best.

“Don’t you see?” Frigga continues. “Our little Athena is just like her Papa. Although I do hope she turns out like you in the future.”

And it’s true. The resemblance is uncanny. Whatever doubts people had about the paternity of her daughter are thrown out of the window; Valkyrie knows that, physically, her little Athena is more of her father than anything else.

Frigga does not let her out of the Asgard estate until she has dinner with the family. Sure, Valkyrie has spent a lot of time with the grandmother, uncle and aunt of her daughter, but Odin and Hela’s arrival to the dinner table gets her nerves going. Loki is absent from tonight, getting stuck at the office with extra work assigned by his superiors while they get the night off.

She knows it’s not her place to speak, that this is not her house or direct family, but it is clear in her demeanor that she dislikes the way Hela handles Loki at work.

The founder of the Bifrost Corp sits on the right side of her father Odin, while Frigga on the left. Thor sits beside his stepsister while Jane sat beside him and Valkyrie beside the family matriarch. Athena is on her stroller being entertained with the chandelier that decorates the lavish dining room ceiling. Dinner goes, and she listens to Thor’s pleasant talk about he and his wife’s outstanding honeymoon in Italy and France and Frigga tells the men all that she has seen Athena do that day.

The family can hold a polite conversation, yet it feels more like a business meeting than a family dinner. She imagines Loki sitting beside his older brother, eating his food without sharing his day, keeping it to himself. Maybe that is why he has a hard time showing his feelings, why he gets so awkward when he is caught being affectionate with Athena.

It saddens Valkyrie a little, to know that Loki was adopted and raised into a family, that has everything, has even struggled with cancer, but never created a sense of home outside of work and the public world. No matter how hard Frigga tries to engage her men in activities and conversations that are more family-oriented, Valkyrie can still feel a hole where years of dedication and commitment should have been.

She hopes that Athena gives her grandmother the feeling of family she’s lacked since she was married.

Valkyrie also tries to ignore the looks Hela sends towards her. She does not trust this woman, much less around her daughter. The memory of her threats still lingers in her mind, though she conceals it from the rest of the family. She does not want to rely any more on them, and keeping her distance from them is the best route for her.

When Athena begins to stir, Valkyrie takes her queue and gets ready to leave. She thanks Frigga and Odin for the dinner, but now it is time to take their granddaughter home to try and make her sleep. Before Valkyrie can make their way out of the front entrance, she hears a second set of footsteps follow her from the dining room.

“Well, the paternity test is no longer needed. The child is clearly a part of this family.” Hela says.

Valkyrie turns around, shivers running down her spine. The stroller is almost halfway out of the door and Athena is letting out noises, a sign that she is about to cry. She finds it impossible to move as Hela walks over to the stroller until she is in front and looks down at the baby. Her face shows no expression, her calculating eyes narrow when Athena starts to cry.

“She never needed one.” Valkyrie says with hostility.

She tries to move the stroller around Hela’s standing position, but the older woman stops Valkyrie’s attempt with her hand. She connects her eyes with Valkyrie’s, and for the first time in her life, she fears for the safety of her daughter.

“I expect her to not get in Loki’s way, or you taking advantage of my company’s money.” The tone of her voice is low and threatening. “The Bifrost Corp will always be there for my younger brother, but I will not allow a single mother to distract him from his future. Do you understand me?”

Valkyrie has to tighten her jaw to prevent it from shaking, yet she feels like her whole body is in the middle of an earthquake. She is agitated, distressed and thoroughly scared of the hand that Hela places on top of Athena’s head to pat her as if it was the most common action thing to do. A lump on her throat constricts her voice from speaking up, yet she already had enough insults lined up in her mind, ready to fire against the eldest illegitimate daughter of the Odinson family.

However, she is interrupted before she even finds the courage to let out a word.

“Hela, father wants to discuss something with you in his office. I will take them home.”

Thor watches as his elder stepsister moves her hand out of Athena’s head, gives Valkyrie’s one last look, and then leaves. She knows that Valkyrie’s shoulders are shaking so much that they would not stop even if she were to hold them with her hands. Without saying anything, he leads the mother and daughter out of his house and into his car, gets the baby seat ready in the back, and ignites his engine.

Valkyrie does not look his way as they drive from the Asgard estate downhill to New York’s downtown district. Loki’s family home is located in the same neighborhood as some of the most influential municipal and national figures.

The city lights gets closer and brighter, the streets busier and louder.

“Don’t tell Loki.” She finally says.

Thor stops at a red sign. The low rumbling of his car set Athena for a short nap, silence conquering.

He does not need to ask why. “I can defend myself and Athena against people like him. He does not pose a threat to my family.” Valkyrie explains. She sounds a lot more determined than she feels.

It is when they arrived at Valkyrie’s building then Thor speaks.

“Loki is the most important person in my life. By extension, my wife and Athena holds a place like that as well. It is only mere consequence that I show my concern.”

“I appreciate that, Thor. But she is my responsibility.”

He chuckles. “I know how my big step of a sister can get.”

Valkyrie thinks about the empty threats she received from Hela during her pregnancy. She tried not to let them affect her back then, and she would not let them now. She does not notice when she begins to talk about them to Thor. She tells him about the requests for a paternity test, the demands to stay away from the family and their money. Loki’s older brother pays attention, letting her vent all the pent up emotions she’s had in the past couple of months.

It feels as if a giant water is washing up the coast and then clearing it, taking away all the impurities with its force.

“You must not do this alone, Valkyrie.” Is all that Thor says.

She knows, but she understands that Loki has only known his company and nothing else, that their daughter should not be the reason for him to throw it all away. That Valkyrie herself should not meddle with the affairs that do not personally concern her.

“The father away we stay from Hela, the better.”

Thor seems that he wants to say more, but refrains from doing so when Athena start to cry again. He bids them farewell while she in return then tells him to say to Jane that she’s fine and well to lessen his wife’s concern for her. As Thor’s moves away, leaving the young mother feeling a lot more distressed than before with the conflicting thoughts in her mind.

It does not help that, when Valkyrie opens the door to her apartment, she finds Loki working in her living room. He almost jumps up from her couch when the door swings open, and makes his way to take Athena as she pushes the stroller into the apartment. Valkyrie can see all the paperwork scattered on her coffee table; he’s taken his work home before in an attempt to spend more time with the baby. It affects his sleep, Valkyrie knows that, in spite of Loki’s reassurance that he gets enough rest.

“Where were you?”

“At your house, actually. Had a nice dinner with your family.” She replies casually. It feels almost _too_ casual, almost too much like they are a real couple. She just needs to rest, she tells herself. That and a nice bath to shoo away all of the confusion in her mind.

“Oh.” He almost sounds hurt. “Who dropped you off?”

“Your brother. Being sweet he is. I’m going to bed. Would you mind putting her to sleep? It’s been a long day.”

She does not even wait for Loki to answer to her favor, nor does she notice the disturbed look he wears on his face when she calls his elder brother, _sweet_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooohhh, Hela is beginning to become more meaner than ever. Poor Valkyrie and Athena :( 
> 
> Netherless, Valkyrie is still tough enough to protect herself and her baby girl!!
> 
> Thank you guys for patiently waiting!
> 
> Catch you sooner for the next chapter ;)
> 
> REVIEW?


	10. Undeniable Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! AGAIN! I am so terribly sorry for making you guys wait! It seems that my computer got unstable, so I didn't go onto continue my work (>o<)". God I hate it, But no matter cuz Here's the tenth chapter you've all been patiently waiting, readers!!! And for making that up to you readers, I will be posting the tenth chapter VERY soon, I promise you;)! So without futhur ado, enjoy this fic ;)

Valkyrie wonders where time has gone. It feels like yesterday since Athena was born, since she was only breastfed and napped every three hours. One thing is to study a baby’s growth in a lecture hall with a projector in front, and another thing is to witness it first-hand. Her daughter is growing healthily, doing all the normal things that an eight month year old does. Her smiling giggles are now accompanied by two front teeth on her upper gums, and Valkyrie cannot help but take photographs of every little thing Athena does.

Her nursery is now filled with toys and books that make sounds. Athena can sit up by herself, and has even begun to crawl much to her mother’s dismay. Valkyrie takes her to the University whenever possible. Freya is more than welcome to have the little bundle of joy play in her office while her mother attends the last classes of her academic career. Fortunately, Uncle Thor and his wife, Auntie Jane also both willing to spend time with their niece, and they frequently go out for lunch whenever they have free time. And surprisingly, Thor and Jane announced to her that they are expecting a baby, from which that made Valkyrie looked more surprised and happy as she congratulates the couple and wished them a lot of happiness.

Valkyrie never thought that she would find a good friend in her former roommate’s husband and her daughter’s uncle. Thor shares his wisdom in the social development of babies while Valkyrie looks at the scientific side. He drives her home whenever it is possible, and never once mentions Hela. In fact, he ensures that his elder sister is not at home when Valkyrie and Athena are scheduled to visit the Asgard estate, to which she is truly grateful for that.

Loki no longer sleeps in her spare bed since Valkyrie lets him take Athena to his own apartment on the weekends. She has not set foot in it yet, though, still too apprehensive to see Sigyn. Loki does not make an effort to introduce them, either, and he never mentions her.

Her parents come visit Valkyrie in time for her graduation ceremony. When she walks up to the stage to receive her degree, she feels that she’s accomplished another big step in her life.

“Congratulations, darling.” Tyra hugs her daughter and passes Athena onto her arms.

Valkyrie lets the baby soak up her shoulder, too happy to care that her graduation gown is getting wet with baby spit. She is then congratulated by Freya, who confirms that she is coming to Valkyrie’s small celebration in her apartment.

When she arrives home, Natasha and Bruce are decorating the living room, Thor and Jane arrive soon after, her slightly grown belly and ankles swollen as a sign of her few months of pregnancy. Valkyrie finds it exciting that Athena will soon have a friend and a cousin to play with.

Loki and Sigyn are the last ones to arrive. At first, she felt anxious about inviting the woman, but then realized that she cannot put off a proper meeting for much longer. If she is meant to stay in Loki’s life, then Valkyrie should know who else will be around Athena’s life as she grows older.

The first thing that catches her attention is the shining stone in Sigyn’s finger. She feels a lump on her throat, but swallows it down, reminding herself that is _her_ day to shine and that she has accomplished too much in her young life to care that deeply about Loki’s love life at this point. She only wants to meet woman – his fiancée, it seems – and that’s it. Greet her, show coutesy, and then keep her distance.

But Sigyn does not seem subtle in showing off her engagement ring while Loki chooses to ignore her attempts of saying how he proposed. In all honesty, Valkyrie does not even want to imagine how it happened.

Jane does not want to find out either. When all the women are serving food, Jane throws a frown at the woman, which is a rather unusual sight for Valkyrie to witness. Her friend is not one to show hostility to others, preferring to remain in the sidelines to avoid conflict. But if Jane dislikes Sigyn enough to send a glare in her way, then it must be for a good reason.

It must be the pregnancy hormones.

“I don’t like her.” Thor’s wife states.

“But you like everybody.” Natasha says with her arms crossed as equally confused as Valkyrie. “Are you finally growing a back bone with this pregnancy?”

“No, it’s just… never mind. We’re here to celebrate Val’s success. By the way, do you have any pickles or ice cream?”

Valkyrie wants to know why Jane is unhappy with her husband’s _soon-to-be_ sister-in-law. She wants to think that it is because of her family affairs and not because Sigyn is dating Loki. It just makes more sense in her mind for her friend to dislike the Sigyn she sees in family reunions.

Nonetheless, she will not let this bring down her high spirits. She just finished graduate school, has a job lined up at techno-related companies, her daughter is healthy, and she is surrounded by her family and friends.

“Congratulations, Val.” Thor says before leaving while wrapping his arm around Jane’s shoulder. “I’m so glad that you met Jane and be friends with her. And I would not choose anyone else to be my niece’s mother.”

“As will I.” Jane said with an assuring smile then puts her hand on her friend’s arm and rubs it with comfort.

The statement, said in front of all guests, is bold enough. Valkyrie is about to thank them for coming to her celebration, but he kisses her cheek in sibling affection kind of way while Jane hugs her after Thor then promptly leaves. She stands, dumbfounded, all the while ignoring an irritated Sigyn and a slightly jealous Loki follow after Thor.

 

* * *

 

**_~A Few Months Later~_ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

Athena took her first steps the day before her first birthday. Valkyrie held her arms open in anticipation for her daughter to walk into them, and so she did. The child giggled in her mother’s arms, finding it fun to play the game of walking into her long arms, not even paying attention to the tears of joy that pooled in Valkyrie’s eyes.

She finds that her apartment is getting too small for only the two of them, and that her commute to the company she’s working is rather long and tedious every week day. Pamphlets for real estate and bookmarked websites fill in her free time whenever she gets Athena to take a nap. Her parents offered to help her pay for another place, ideally one closer to her work and with three bedrooms.

Having a bedroom to spare would be great as Athena’s play station and her guests too. Her salary allows her more financial freedom, though her work will eventually take up most of her day and taking care of Athena will not be that easy anymore.

It is on one of her days off, which she fills with plans to call agents and set up appointments to look at places, then suddenly Loki shows up at her doorstep.

“Hey come in. Athena is playing in her room.”

The last time they saw one another was at her graduation celebration. Though they’ve kept in touch over the phone and have shared responsibilities on watching over their daughter, Valkyrie cannot even remember the last time she and Loki were not surrounded by other people. He still looks the same as a year ago, his hair styled in perfection, and his shoes shining against the white tiles of her kitchen.

Valkyrie, on the other hand, finds herself with her unwashed hair up in a messy bun, the blue jeans she can finally wear again, and a large pullover with her university logo.

The contrast is still striking, yet both adults turn their faces towards Athena’s wobbling feet as she extends her little arms for Loki to take. Valkyrie can see the shine in his eyes when he watches his daughter excitedly walk towards him.

“Papa! Papa!”

Her father obeys her requests, lifting her from the floor and wrapping his arms around Athena’s little body. She tries to plant a kiss on his cheek, but ends up opening her mouth a bit too much wide and almost bites him by accident. Loki, paying no mind to his baby girl’s awkward attempts to show affection, brushes her curly black hair to the side, noticing how long it’s gotten since he last saw her.

God, he misses her. She’s already a year old, walking, with all of her teeth, and calling him _Papa_.

“It was only yesterday that she was born.” Valkyrie comments.

When Athena begins to chant for her mama, she takes the child into her arms and takes out her food from the fridge. Loki sets up the feeding chair while Valkyrie puts the diced grapes and cheese in a small bowl. They sit their child down on the chair and try to feed her, but Athena seems to be too excited to focus on the food.

“Do you think she can tell?”

“What do you mean?”

“That her mama and papa are not together.” Valkyrie explains. “She’s too excited to eat right now. It must be because she’s not used to be seeing us together at the same time.”

It is a talk that they will eventually have when Athena grows older. Although Valkyrie wants to conceal it for as many years as she can, she still fears of her daughter finding out that she is the product of a one-night-stand. That she may not have been created out of love.

“She’s a smart one. We don’t have to worry about that now.” She ends up saying without waiting for Loki’s response.

Instead, he focuses on the fliers lying on her kitchen table.

“Are you planning on moving?”

He starts to read over some of them, a frown settling on his face when he notices that they are all far away from their current location.

“I need something closer to the company I work in, Loki. The commute is too much, my work offers day care while I am on my shift, so it will be easier to move around with Athena when I start working more hours.”

The way he looks at her when she explains her reasoning reminds her too much of that time that she told him about her choice of their daughter’s last name.

“We will just have to set up a schedule for when you can take Athena. She needs to socialize with other kids around her age, though.”

“So are you saying that I will not be able to see my daughter as often as I’d like?”

“That’s not – Loki, you’ll see her, I swear.”

“But even after a _fucking_ year, you still think that she’s more than your responsibility than mine, isn’t it?”

They never seem to have the same opinion on things. And Valkyrie was not expecting to have an argument today.

“No! Please don’t use that language. She can catch onto it.”

“Mama! Papa!”

“Then what do you want me to do?” Loki is on his feet now, his voice even louder. “Not get pissed off? I know what you’re doing, you’re trying to keep your distance, trying to keep her away from me because of some bullshit reason you don’t even bother saying!”

Where is this even coming from? Valkyrie stares dumbfounded at Loki’s rising chest. She cannot understand it, she is happy with her life, going other places. Finding a new roof for her and her daughter is only natural; the more she can supply for Athena the better.

He is going to other places too; his parents are healthy, his brother and daughter too. He will soon take over one of the biggest telecommunication companies in the country and make a name for himself.

He’s engaged, for god’s sake! He wears nice clothes every day, has never had to worry about scraping for food because everything was given to him, yet he acts like there is something missing in his life.

Loki runs a hand through his hair in frustration and paces on his feet until he sits back down on his chair. Then, he decides to focus on feeding his daughter diced all the while Valkyrie does not take her eyes away from him.

“Loki.” She attempts. “Are you happy with your life?”

He is twenty-nine, heir to a large fortune, father of a beautiful baby girl, engaged to an attractive woman _(Valkyrie dismisses the fact that she **really** does not like Sigyn)_.

Loki focuses on picking up the pieces of food that Athena drops from her plate.

“How are things with… with Sigyn? You guys are engaged, right?” She asked.

This is definitely not how she thought her day was going to go.

“I’m only going through with it because of Hela,” He groan. “She’ll get off from my back and leave me alone if I marry her. That means that I’ll get some degree of freedom in my life.” He adds sarcastically.

That is when Valkyrie understands much better than before. Loki’s upbringing has made him a slave of his family business, a person who never had a say in the course of his life and would have been a lot happier scraping for food than having lavish dinners every night. She looks back on the way his family speaks when they are together, they are so well composed, almost too perfect to be real. And that is what Loki had never wanted. It is almost as if he was born to lead a life of imperfections, of colored stains in his monochrome composure.

He is imprisoned, stuck in his work because it is the only thing he know and stuck at home with a woman he does not love and a family that treats everything like a business affair.

And she sees how Athena, in spite of being illegitimate yet still loved by her grandmother on her father’s side, is considered his escape from that life. It is the first time he gets to choose his responsibility, to escape the caged life that is his office and home. Her chest tightens, realizing that in trying to find a way to become a more independent mother, she is taking away the only joy in Loki’s life.

Her hand somehow lands on his after he wipes a stain on Athena’s cheek. She catches his full attention, though the back of her mind is till focused on feeding her baby.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it. I promise I won’t be selfish--”

“It’s fine--”

“No. It’s not fine, Loki,” She interrupts him. “If your current life makes you so miserable, you should go for what you want.”

Athena’s babbling is the only sound heard in the kitchen after her statement. She knows that it is too cliché to say to someone like Loki, who has everything from the get-to-go. Yet it is fitting due to his compromising situation. Heck, she chose to follow that advice a year and nine months ago when she found out she was having Athena and does not regret the ups and downs that came with it.

But before she can register, Loki’s lips are caressing hers. He separates from the kiss briefly, looking right into her eyes while running his thumb on her knuckes.

“Go for what I want, you say?” his voice sounds a lot deeper than it usually does, and she feels the electricity dancing in her body. “I wish it was this easy.”

He kisses her again, capturing her jaw with both hands. Her arms snaking around his neck in an attempt to bring him closer and closer. It’s been _too_ long since she’s felt this sensation, and her physical desire is overpowering all of her senses while his tongue plays with hers.

They are suddenly interrupted when Athena starts to whimper.

“It’s her nap time.” She sounds almost out of breath.

Loki takes care of putting their daughter to sleep while Valkyrie cleans the kitchen as a distraction. She tries too hard to forget the way her body feels in that moment. Every movement, every small touch sends flares in every direction. Her lips still feel tender, the back of her neck too hot in spite of having her hair up. She has to take off her pullover while cleaning the dishes, feeling like she would faint with the unexpected rise in temperature.

When Athena is fast asleep in her crib, Loki returns to the kitchen and Valkyrie is half expecting him to gather his things and leave. After all, that is what she did the last time they were caught in a similar state. However, when he sets his eyes on her bare shoulders and torso covered in a tight tank top, his arms immediately wrap around her waist from behind and trap her against the counter.

His lips touch her ear, sending her jolts when he moves them. “What if this is what I want?”

“Loki, I--”

She feels his hard erection rub against her backside, sending whimpers out of her mouth,

“She’ll be out for an hour or two.”

“That’s enough time.” Valkyrie responds breathless.

She turns around, still constricted between the counter and his imposing body, and traps his lips. It’s been way _too_ long since she felt his erection between her legs. She does not even know where her courage comes from, the last time she checked she’s never been into engaged men. But this is Loki, the one she knows that is not happy with his life or the woman he is with.

And she know how great he can be at such certain things.

“Are you sure about this?” Valkyrie asks between their kisses. They are already in her bedroom, and his hands have touched every inch of her body covered in clothes.

Loki stops kissing her for a moment. He takes her hand and places it on his chest. She can feel his heart bear, hers matching in speed. “I’m not sure about this, to be honest.” He answers. “But this feels right. I can’t think about anything else but you. You’ve been killing me, Val.”

She unbuttons his shirts and throws it on the floor. Neither of them are worrying over the mess that is becoming of her bedroom. He looks good this way; all flustered, shirtless, with his black dress pants riding low on his hips. She know this is wrong, that she may regret this when they are done. But like Loki said, this feels right and she’s been killing him too much.

Loki is gentle with his touch, caressing her breasts with attention, filling every gap of her skin with tender kisses, holding her hand when they are about to climax. She imprints his naked body into her memory, appreciating the way his muscular arms contract when he is on top of her, when he lifts and places her on his lap. Her fingers run through his hair, pulling and tugging until it turns into a mess. His forehead connects with hers, the tip of her nipples grace his chest and makes her feel warm between her legs.

“I don’t want to go back.” He pants while she rides him.

His hands hold her hips, trying to make her go faster. She feels that he is reaching his peak by the way that his face fails to conceal the pleasure he is feeling. She joins him in ecstasy, feeling that her muscles relax after letting out her orgasm. Valkyrie wraps her arms around his neck as he flips them, landing on top of her. Loki tucks his face between her neck and shoulder, too comfortable to let go of her naked body.

It feels different from what he remembers. He can notice that she has more curves than a year and nine months ago, but it only makes her more beautiful. He enjoys watching the way her stomach has a little bump, a proud souvenir from carrying their daughter for nine months. Her legs feel a lot fuller in his hands much to his pleasure. Her face maintains the same roundness though.

She kills him. She kills him slowly and does not even notice it.

“Then don’t. Stay, Loki. Stay with me.” She whispers to his ear.

They make love three more times, taking breaks whenever their daughter needs attention. Loki is the first one to get up whenever they heard Athena stir in the room next door, but promptly returns to Valkyrie’s warm embrace. They don’t even realize when day turns to night and then back into day.

He does not know what to think of this. The next morning, he watches Valkyrie dress up for work, feed Athena and prepares him breakfast. He feels normal by kissing goodbye before she walks out of the door, and even allows his lips to linger on hers. Then, he spends all day with his daughter, taking her out on walks in the park and buying her new clothing and toys.

Loki knows that this is out of the ordinary, out of the expected and accepted in his life. Yet he ignores his cellphone all day, committing his full attention to Athena’s wobbles, waits for Valkyrie to come home, and accepts her invitation to stay in for another night.

This may be wrong. This may be a big mistake.

But it feels like home, and this is what matters the most to him at that point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you guys for patiently waiting!
> 
> Catch you sooner for the next chapter ;)
> 
> REVIEW?


	11. An Almost Heartbreaking Holiday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there guys! I'm back, I know it's been longer than I thought it would be. And also, here's the eleventh chapter and guess what, only a few chapters left! Meaning that we're almost at the end of the story!
> 
> I know it's sad that I am going to finish this story, but I am very happy that all of you loved it and for that I will be entirely grateful for your sweet comments.
> 
> But for now, enjoy this update but also prepare for an angst in this chapter!

Loki does not show up at his office that often in the following weeks. Instead, he chooses to spend his time with the two girls that invade his mind.

Athena is a lot happier now, he can tell. She smiles whenever she sees her parents share a kiss; she tries to wrap her tiny arms around their necks to show affection; she even calls them over at night fully aware that her mama and papa will come at the same time.

The three of them don’t go out of the apartment together unless it is an emergency. Valkyrie is still apprehensive about being seen in public with Athena’s father in fear that somebody may catch them. Although she imagines that Frigga will have no problem with seeing them together, she does not want to predict with Odin and Hela may say.

Loki seems to have found a clear path in his life since he does not overwork himself anymore. He spends less time at his office and more time with his daughter, something that Hela tends to point out and he chooses to ignore. His older stepsister cannot interfere between his growing relationship between the parent and child, though he is still uninformed of Loki’s frequent stays at Valkyrie’s apartment.

He always volunteers to cook dinners, to play with Athena, and to even drop Valkyrie off at her working place whenever possible. Life at his own apartment is gradually thrown out the window, not even bothering with the thought that he has a fiancée to attend to in public events. Sigyn calls him, asks him what he’s been up to and why he isn’t around so much anymore, but she is smart enough to gather that Loki has set his eyes on another woman. And she does not seem bothered by it.

He kisses Athena’s forehead every night before she falls asleep, and then lets Valkyrie’s arms embrace him as he dozes off on her chest, her heart beat guiding him through his dreams.

 

* * *

 

That is until he is brought down from his dreams.

“Hello?”

“Loki?”

“I’ll be there soon, I’m just stuck--”

“We can’t. This is not right.” She sighs in frustration. “We have to stop.”

“But--”

“You’re engaged.”

But _you’re home._

“You may be putting your job on the line.”

_Don’t burn it down._

“I’m sorry. We can’t be seeing each other like this anymore.”

“Think of Athena.” He cannot believe his voice is cracking.

“That’s what I’m doing. I’m doing what’s best for her.”

_“Think of your daughter! Val!”_

“I’m sorry… I … Goodbye.”

She hangs up her phone when the tears are already rolling down her face. The lump on her throat constricts her from breathing properly, the words she tried so hard to say still stuck in there.

Valkyrie picks up Athena from her play station and brings her to the couch. She rocks her daughter back and forth, finding consolation in the one constant variable in her life. The yellow envelope sits on her coffee table, its content of discrete photographs of her with Athena and Loki, looking like a normal family, spilled on the floor of her living room. There is a small note accompanying the photos, written in an elegant cursive and signed by Hela Odinson.

_More than just his career may be on the line._

The young woman knows what kind of person Hela is and what kind of power she holds. Valkyrie knows that it is a drastic measure to break it off with Loki so soon, but the thought that her little Athena may be compromised, or even in danger, from this woman is keeping her on her toes. Denouncing Hela to the police is out of the question; the Odinson Head has connections with everyone.

Valkyrie followed her heart knowing the consequences, choosing to go through the pain and be selfish than to think of the future. Of course there isn’t a future with Loki. They may share a daughter, but they have nothing in common. He is too unreachable; she is too afraid. They may balance each other out with their opposites, but Athena’s safety comes first.

“Mama? Mama fine?”

Athena’s tiny fingers run though her wet cheeks, not fully understanding why her mama is crying like she does when she’s hungry.

Valkyrie feels her heart break in a million pieces. Whenever she looks at her daughter, she sees a fraction of Loki and of the feeling that can never become possible. She wishes that Loki had been born simple, or that she had been raised with a higher social status. That Hela was already buried deep down the ground, far away from controlling her younger stepbrother’s life.

She wishes Athena did not have to see her go through this. Her daughter may be young, but she can comprehend that crying means something bad, and that bad things are never good.

“Mama fine, Athena.” She insists, kissing the top of her baby girl’s forehead.

 

* * *

 

**_~three months later~_ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

**_._ **

Athena’s eyes are entranced with the snowflakes falling from the other side of the window. At almost a year old, she already knows how those magical flakes melt and turn into water when they touch at the tip of her nose. Her feet leave marks on the white snow when she goes and plays at the park with her mother. Athena usually turns back to see the imprints left behind by her snow boots. And she loves every moment of it.

This may not be her first snow fall or her first Christmas, but this is the first time Valkyrie can truly enjoy how her daughter experiences the beauty of winter.

“Mama! Snow!”

“Yes, Athena, snow is falling.”

The holiday season arrives faster than Valkyrie is used to. Taking care of her daughter and work have clogged up her schedule from appreciating the weather changes.

It’s been roughly three months since she last saw Loki, and aside from the heartbreak that still manifests in her chest when she thinks about him, she is doing a lot better. Hela has not approached them over ever since, and Valkyrie feels that he won’t as long as she keeps her distance from Loki. Frigga acts as the mediator between them, not entirely sure why her granddaughter’s parents aren’t speaking but not brave enough to ask. Whenever Athena spends the weekend or an entire week with Loki, The matriarch of the Odinson Family has to facilitate it so that their daughter goes from one set of arms to the other.

It’s a shitty situation, to say the least. Valkyrie cannot find the courage to confront such a powerful woman like Hela like she would have before; her daughter’s security and well-being is her top priority, so she cannot get into needless fights anymore.

Christmas Eve is spend time with her parents, a small reunion where most presents were for Athena.

Christmas Day, on the other hand, brings Valkyrie and Athena to the Asgard estate to greet the grandparents in the morning.

“Granma! Snow, snow!”

Little Athena skips up and down the large living room, taking of the spacious premises and her grandmother’s full attention. Frigga is not afraid of letting her expensive white pants and red cashmere sweater get ruined while she catches Athena and plants a big kiss on her forehead.

“Yes, my little Athena. You, grandfather and I will play in the snow.”

 “Snow play! Papa! Papa!”

Valkyrie feels her heart drop as the expected occurs. She turns around, shifting her vision from her daughter and Frigga playing to Loki. He is still near the entrance, wearing all black, with no sign of Sigyn or a ring on his finger. They connect on each other’s eyes for a moment before she veers away, choosing to sit down on the L-shaped sofa and pick up her coffee.

Athena runs with her wobbly feet towards her papa, the brightest of smiles painting on her face when Loki picks her up from the floor.

“Papa here!” She chants.

“Things aren’t good between you two.” Thor states, taking a seat beside Valkyrie with a large mug glass full of beer in his hand.

A silence begins to surround them for a moment.

“How’s Jane and little _Toby_?” She asked, trying to change the subject.

Thor slightly frowned with her change of the subject but the mention of his wife and his newborn son, he would reply with a smile. Before visiting his family’s estate, his wife told him that Erik Selvig seems to be a bit ill during Christmas. That information causes Thor to be saddened that his good old friend was sick in bed, and with that Jane wanted to spend time with her _surrogate_ father on Christmas even though she really wanted to have a good holiday time with her husband’s family.

“Jane’s very fine, trying to be a good mother hen for our dear old good man Erik. She’s handling it pretty well taking care of him, though I am worried for her to do this alone but thank god, Darcy and her boyfriend Ian are there to help out. _Torben_ , on the hand, being all fussy as always but still cheerful. I honestly can’t believe despite after giving birth after a few weeks ago, she’s still has a lot of energy looking after both our boy and Erik.”

Valkyrie chuckled softly. “Same old Jane trying to be a big help around people.”

Thor just smiled in return. “I know. And you’re still trying to change subject, Val.” His smile faded into a small glum.

She tries not to let disappointment show. She keeps her shoulders held up high, her composure untouched. But the slight vibration of her lower lip betrays her.

“You haven’t told him about Hela?”

“It’s pointless. It would only ruin Loki’s career. We’re better this way.” Valkyrie adds as an afterthought.

Thor drinks his glass empty. “That’s what you think.” He says before getting up from his seat and making his way to play with Athena, his mother and father.

Loki and Valkyrie are left alone in the house, the rest to the Odinsons choosing to briefly and conveniently enjoy some of the cold Christmas weather outside.

He looks thinner, she notes. Thinner and with dark circles under his eyes. The small bit of worry that washes over her stomach prevents her from drinking any more of coffee.

Loki takes a seat in front of her. He settles his elbows on his knees while his fingers interlace. He lowered his head, avoiding the sight of her presence, concealing his expressions. Valkyrie bites her lower lip anxiously. She knows that getting up from the sofa at this point would be a sign of weakness, of running away from this issue that is so personal that it will hunt her for the rest of her days.”

Loki isn’t any guy, as much as he was when they first met. He transcends every meaning of people in Valkyrie’s life, and not just because he is Athena’s father.”

“Merry Christmas.” She mutters so quietly that he barely hears her.

Loki finally lifts up his head, taking the risk of looking straight into her eyes. She can feel her heart break all over again and has to fight back the tears.

“Merry Christmas to you too, Val.”

It is almost ironic how they wish each other well in such a festive holiday, but they both feel heavy on the inside. Valkyrie sends him a small smile. Nothing that would make him think that she has changed her mind, but that he knows that she really does wish him a good holiday.

“Athena chose a present for you.”

“I’ll wait until she gets back to open it.”

Awkward silence settles in between them. It reminds Valkyrie of how it was like at the beginning, when they were getting to know each other without the alcohol involved and with a baby growing in her womb. They would not know what to talk about, what to relate to, finding a way of becoming friends or at least civil acquaintances.

She never counted on feeling more than amicable towards Loki. Then again, she never expected having a daughter before marriage and with a man she barely knew. Valkyrie can no longer say that she and Loki are strangers; there is definitely something growing in between them that goes beyond the physical world, something that scares her due to its consequences.

But there he is, looking so broken because she stopped them from taking one step further and solidifying an impossible dream.

 

* * *

 

They spend the night of Christmas day at his brother’s residence.

As far as Loki knows, neither Jane nor Thor are aware of the brief could-have-been that happened between him and Valkyrie. They have been too busy looking after their newborn son, and Torben Odinson proves to be the sort of whirlwind Athena never was.

Like the rest of their family and friends, Loki and Valkyrie were invited to celebrate Jane’s birthday on Christmas Day since everybody is free. He watches as his beautiful daughter plays with his brother’s son, particularly his nephew. Athena carries herself like the smart one year old baby girl she is, trying to teach her cousin Toby how to find the strength in his eight month old arms to crawl on the carpet.

Thor takes a seat beside Loki, his concentration also finding the scene played out in front of them.

“Isn’t this great?” He points at the two children.

“If you’re taking about how my daughter is so intelligent, then yes.”

“No! That’s not what I meant.” Thor grunts, crossing his arms. “I meant that they’ll grow up together.”

Sometimes Loki has to remember that this oaf had been his brother and best friend for all of his life and that he is a father now. He can act worse than Athena on her grumpy days. Still, the idea that his daughter will grow up with Thor’s son excites him and makes him dreadful at the same time. He wants Athena to have the best influence, after all.

“Puny! Puny!”

Oh no. it’s caught on. Loki sees his little girl run up to his arms, chanting that name with excitement in her voice at learning a new word. He has to correct her, by pointing at himself and saying papa repeatedly until it sinks back in her mind that he is papa, not puny.

He then gets his revenge, pointing at his brother and saying _oaf_.

“Oaf! Oaf!”

Torben even joins along, catching on to the syllable and repeating. “Oaf! Oaf! Oaf! Oaf!”

Are you two teaching our children bad words?” Jane appears out of the kitchen with her arms crossed almost angrily.

Valkyrie’s head pops from behind her shoulder, sending a similarly disapproving look at the two young fathers. “They’re like a sponge at this stage, so whatever you say will catch on.” She returns to the kitchen, followed by Jane.

Thor catches the way Loki’s eyes linger on the spot where Valkyrie stood and he narrows his own. They’ve known each other all their lives, being more like brothers than just adopted siblings. Thor can read Loki better than anyone can, and has deduced the truth without asking questions multiple times.

“You two had something going on, didn’t you brother?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Loki purses his lips, inviting silence before he gathers his words to speak. “It didn’t work out.”

“Yet you still love her.” Thor concludes, standing up from his seat to check on Torben’s diaper.

His little brother does not deny the declaration, confessing to his big brother without the need to say that he is right. Loki has never been good at stating that Thor is right most of the time; it is often a huge hit to his ego. However, in this case, he finds it too difficult to declare that whatever he feels for Valkyrie is real, and it exists in spite of her wishes to remain separated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anybody else still active... Gosh, you have no idea how much i miss your comments with appreciation. But till then, See you soon for the next chapter ;)
> 
> Review (^////u////^)?


	12. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I apologize that I didn't update this chapter a month ago. The reason for this it's because my uncle (who has been like a second father to me) died on August 9th at midnight. It was a complete shock to me that the man whom I care for and who raised me so well has gone to a better place.
> 
> So I kind of put my fic on hold for a long while, just to you know "grieve" for my loss. And I hope you guys will understand my unfortunate situation I'm having.
> 
> Anyways this chapter will be a complete angst, so you might want to prepare your tissues or handkerchiefs because it's going to be a hard ride for you to read this.
> 
> Good Luck!

Loki knows that it is a rash decision. Sure, he’s gone to her place many times before, as a friend, a father and a lover. He always comes to Valkyrie’s place with a purpose, even if he said purpose is to kill time. However, when he hears the news, he could not stop thinking about how wrong it is.

Hela was the one to tell him, shockingly. He is well aware that his older step-sister is not fond of Valkyrie and Athena because they may cause a distraction in his life. Loki never imagined that his step-sister would be the bearer of the news when it came to his own family—yes, his daughter and her mother are family regardless. Loki’s doubts of Hela’s involvement in his private life are thrown out the window when he finds her apartment door open, a jazz music playing from the inside.

He finds her surrounded by stacks of packed boxes, wearing overalls with her hair up in a messy bun, her hands busy stuffing the luggage with baby clothes. Loki feels out of breath, watching as the life he once thought he could have was slowly moving away from the city.

“So it’s true.”

This is when Valkyrie looks up. She locks her widened eyes with his, a sign that she was not expecting him to show up at this time of hour or day.

“You’re leaving.” Loki continues with a voice he cannot find.

She is all packed up, ready to pick up her things with their daughter and leave. It is almost ironic, she appeared in his life like that, always ready to pick up her things to leave. There is a slight trembling in her chin, and she swallows thickly as she fights back the tears Loki can see so well. He walks into her apartment, her now uninhabited living room, the one he helped her prepare for Athena’s arrival so long ago.

“Loki, you know that I needed a new place. And this is the perfect chance to move.” She begins with another list of excuses, another list of unnecessary and invalid reasons to keep the distance between them.

Only this time, the distance would be unbearable.

Loki suddenly feels that his tie is choking him and his business suit is locking his limbs from moving. “But move to another country?”

Valkyrie licks her lips nervously. She has been dreading this moment. “I got a job offer and I can’t back down now.”

“What about Athena?” He finds himself asking this. It’s like every wall of the apartment is falling on him.

She drops on what she is doing and places her hands on her hips. “I can’t… Loki, it’s hard being a single mom in spite of all the help I can get. I want Athena to be proud of me when she’s older, I want her to grow in a healthy environment. The money isn’t enough in New York. Sweden is giving me the best offer I’ve ever had and it’s a great job with benefits.”

“I can help you out—fuck, my family can help you!” His voice magnifies. He wants to yell. He wants to break all of the things Valkyrie had just finish packing. He wants to take her into his arms, shake her, kiss her… change her mind.

She hesitates before speaking again, turning away from him. “I’m cutting ties with your family.”

It is as if she dropped a bucket of ice on him. She wants to leave. She wants to forget about him, about the significance of Athena in his life. Loki thinks of his mother and how attracted she is to her granddaughter. He thinks of his brother and father, who shows Athena such affection in the smallest of ways. He thinks of himself, of all the firsts he would miss out on his daughter. He thinks of how he never lost Valkyrie because he never truly had her.

And he reaches the breaking point when Loki grabs her by the shoulders and desperately kisses her, noticing too late on her startled expression. She almost looked afraid.

“Why?! What did I do to make you leave? _Val,_ please,” He once more says the name he truly adores, begs for the first time in his life. “I lo—I can’t—”

Her shoulders and jaw trembled. Her hair is a mess though to him, she always looked more beautiful when she’s like this.

“M-Me too. I wish it wasn’t like this. Promise me you will find the right woman, you will make her happy and give her lots of children.”

His emerald eyes widen. He is frozen in this state. Too immersed in the words Valkyrie uttered to realize that she has disentangled from his grip and has walked to the front door as she holds it open, and points it outside.

“I’m sorry, Loki. Please leave.”

 

* * *

 

Loki’s head feels heavy, but he keeps drowning on his third _(or fifth?)_ drink. His throat feels dry from the alcohol, yet he does not ask the bartender to bring him a glass of water. His chest feels like it’s been stabbed a countless times, yet he can only find a cure in the dark colored liquid in front of him. He feels cold, numb, defeated. It is as if a part of his heart has been ripped out of his chest.

He’s never felt like this before. Not with any other woman. Only Valkyrie can conjure such strong emotions in him, even after years of concealing them. She has made him do impossible things; she has brought brightness into his life in the form of their daughter, and now she takes that ray of sunlight by leaving him in an eternal darkness.

The whiskey glass in front of him is empty and with a voice that does not sound like his own, he asks for another one.

“Are you sure, man? You’ve had a bit too much.”

Loki takes the money out his pocket and slams it on the counter. “Just give me another fucking drink! And do your job as a bartender!”

It’s Wednesday Night, and the bar is virtually empty except for a few old guests sitting on a table faraway from where he is. His tie is undone, his blazer is open and the first four buttons of his shirt exposes his clavicle. Loki doesn’t give a damn if the reporters, colleagues, or even worse Hela, were to find him in this state. He doesn’t care about anything anymore. His daughter will grow up not knowing him. And to top it off, he has let the love of his life walk out on him.

At that last statement, his heart shrinks.

Valkyrie.

That’s what Valkyrie is. What she has been for a while now. But she is leaving him.

She is being selfish before he can even get to say those words properly and he’s never said that to anybody, not even to his mother, though she knows the feeling without asking. And Valkyrie is supposed to be his only half. She is supposed to bring him the sort of ease he’s never found working for his family. In spite of being his polar opposite, she offers everything he lacks. Their situation was never ideal; having a one night-stand, a child and then falling in love with her isn’t the right order.

Yet, Loki notes that it takes a significant amount of whiskey to figure that one out. That isn’t the ideal either, honestly.

He tries to get off the bar stool, but his head is spinning and it hits the ground.

Cold.

Hard.

He hears the bartender drop a glass on the floor and rush to his side then feels a pair of arms lifting him up, all messed up, and pushing a water into his lips to hydrate him.

“Thank you. I will take care of him. Loki?”

It’s Thor. His beloved older brother wraps an arm around Loki’s torso and walks him out of the bar. He is too drunk to notice when he is being pushed into the passenger’s seat of Thor’s car, or when the engine starts and they depart. His head feels heavier, the turning and braking the car not helping his headache. He already misses his daughter.

His little princess.

His beautiful girl.

His darling Athena, so small and so little. He wants to hold her one last time, put her to sleep and kiss her forehead before saying goodbye.

He never will be able to do that again. It kills him. And he’s sobbing at this point.

Thor remains silent, and lets his younger brother release all the pent up frustration he’s been holding for months. It’s hard to believe that his little brother Loki is now a grown man with responsibilities, a daughter, and a broken heart.

“She’s moving to Sweden.” He mutters once Thor gets him into his apartment.

Loki sits on his couch with his head buried in his hands. His voice sounds hoarse and almost unintelligible. Thor sets down a glass of water an aspirin on the coffee table before taking a seat in front of his brother.

“This is all my fault…” Loki continues. “I did something that pushed her away, and I love her. I love her so much but she is leaving me. I never had the chance to do it right. To be a better father… a better partner… a better person.”

“You didn’t do anything.” Thor reassures him.

“Val…”

“She never told you because she was afraid.”

Loki looks up from his hands, confused and slightly sobered up. Thor has to repeat his words so that he can properly listen to them.

He furrows his brow. “What do you mean?” He may be slurring but Loki has his full attention set on what his older brother has to say.

“Hela has been threatening Valkyrie since her pregnancy. She didn’t want to tell you because she thought that you staying with the company is what’s best. Hela has connections in Sweden and they offered her a job. That’s why she’s moving away, to avoid getting harassed by Hela and to give you a chance at being the head of the Bifrost Corp.”

The words that Thor explained to him begin to snap. His knuckles starting to crack, tightening it. His eyebrows furrowed. His teeth clenched, knowing the reason behind Valkyrie leaving him with their daughter. So Hela was behind it.

 ** _All_** of it.

And for this, Loki will **_pay_** his step-sister a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you soon for the next chapter :)


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